Tom Phillips and his kids might have been sighted near Te Kūiti. The long running case has gripped New Zealand.
The witness saw four people in camouflage gear around 8:30 am. It was an adult male and three kids. Police want to know if it was really them and are checking other possibilities. Tom, 36, has been hiding since December 2021.
His kids are Jayda, Maverick, and Ember. Their last confirmed appearance was in October when two teens saw them in the bush west of Coutts Road while hunting pigs. Police said it was good to see all three kids and knew it would reassure their family.
That sighting led to a three-day search, assisted by a military helicopter, but they vanished. Police also want Phillips for allegedly trying to rob a store in November 2023. The masked pair broke the shop’s front glass.
Police think Phillips and a child did it. He is also accused of robbing a bank and allegedly shot at a worker in Te Kūiti in May 2023. Police think he fled after losing custody, which Oranga Tamariki, the child welfare agency, now has.
Police think the first disappearance was a “warm-up,” preparing him for the long escape, according to one officer. The children’s mom, Cat, begs for their return, saying they are innocent kids who don’t deserve this life. She thinks he’s using them as pawns and believes people are helping him hide.
A psychologist worries about the kids’ mental health, saying their lives are abnormal. Police ask anyone who sees them to call. Tom vanished with his kids September 11, 2021. They were missing for three weeks, then they returned home unexpectedly.
Tom said they lived off-grid near Marokopa. The court gave custody to Oranga Tamariki after that. Tom disappeared again in December 2021, resulting in a warrant for his arrest because he didn’t show up in court. He faces charges for the first disappearance.
Phillips has been seen multiple times since then, often wearing camouflage and carrying survival gear. They think he lives off the land. He always gets away from the police.