Kieren Mittelheuser: Third person charged over Pheobe Bishop’s alleged murder

Detectives have charged a third person in relation to the alleged murder of 17-year-old Pheobe Bishop.

Police allege Kieren Daniel Mittelheuser, 30, was an accessory after the fact to the murder and had interfered with the investigation.

“It will be alleged the man used the victim’s mobile phone to interfere with the investigation,” Queensland police said in a statement.

“Following extensive investigations, police arrested the man shortly after 7pm last night in Bundaberg West.”

Mr Mittelheuser has been charged with two counts of accessory after the fact to murder and is also facing unrelated charges of driving while disqualified, fraud and drug possession.

He is due to appear before Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Pheobe’s housemates James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33, were charged with her murder and interfering with a corpse on June 5.

The teenager had been living with them in a garbage-strewn property in the small town of Gin Gin near Bundaberg before she vanished on May 15.

Pheobe failed to board a flight to WA to visit her boyfriend and was reported missing, sparking a major search.

Her remains were found just over three weeks later in the Good Night Scrub National Park on June 6.

Police say Wood and Ms Bromley drove the teen close to Bundaberg airport in their grey Hyundai on May 15 but no-one left the car.

It has been alleged Pheobe was murdered and her body dumped in the national park and moved a number of times.

Mr Wood and Ms Bromley are being held in custody and are due to return to court in August.

Pheobe’s family and friends gathered to farewell the “free-spirited girl” at a private funeral on Monday.

In a statement to the ABC, Pheobe’s mother Kylie Johnson said she was “devastated this is something we have had to navigate”.

“This is absolutely everybody’s worst nightmare, however, we promised to get Phee home and give her a send-off that Phee would approve of and that’s what will happen,” Ms Johnson said.