Fugitive dad spotted with kids in the wilderness after three years on the run
A father and his three children are believed to have been spotted for the first time in three years after they disappeared to live in the New Zealand wilderness.
Tom Philips with his daughter Jayda, now 11, nine-year-old son Maverick and daughter Ember, eight, vanished from the town Marokpa in the north of the country in December 2021.
But new grainy footage shot on October 3 appears to show the family dressed in camouflage gear walking along rolling hills outside of their former town.
The children’s mother Catherine said she is thrilled to see her children are still alive.
She told the New Zealand Herald: ‘I’m so happy that they’re all there. I’m so relieved to see all three of my babies. They’re all alive.’
Catherine previously expressed her worry her children are in danger, slamming Philips for ‘child endangerment’.
She said: ‘Ember is asthmatic as am I and she needs medical care that cannot be provided from the land.
‘Many of you say that the children are fine and they are being well looked after.
‘How do you know? Have you seen them? Or is it just bush talk? What Thomas is doing is not OK. It is not OK to divide and conquer, to isolate and control.
‘It is child neglect, it is child abandonment, it is child abuse. My babies deserve better.’
Police Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders confirmed the latest sighting was ‘credible’.
He said: ‘While nothing further of significance was located, investigators will now assess information gathered to determine any next steps.
‘This is the first time all three of the children have been sighted, which is positive information, and we know it will be reassuring for the children’s wider family.’
Philips and his three children first disappeared in September 2021, but returned to their farm 18 days later after living in a tent in the dense bushland.
But they disappeared again months later, with the last sighting being December 9, 2021.
Philips then failed to appear at court in January 2022 for a charge of causing wasteful deployment of police personnel and resources.
He is also wanted over an alleged armed robbery of a bank in Te Kuiti in September 2023.
The public have been warned to not approach Philips, despite there having been at least 40 sightings which officers have deemed significant.
Inspector Saunders said he believes the dad has had help while he has been on the run.
He said: ‘Immunity against prosecution will be considered for anyone who has committed an offence in assisting Tom Phillips, if they provide information or evidence which leads to the location and safe return of the children.’
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