A father and his three children, who have been unaccounted for over the past three years, were recently observed walking through a rural region of New Zealand.
Authorities announced that a significant search had been initiated following a “credible sighting” of Tom Phillips along with his two daughters and son.
They were spotted trekking through a wooded area near Marokopa on the North Island of the country.
According to local reports, Phillips, along with his children, Jayda, 11, Maverick, nine, and Ember, eight, were seen from afar by a 16-year-old pig hunter.
All four individuals were dressed in camouflage attire and carried sizable camping backpacks, while the father was allegedly witnessed holding a firearm.
They have been missing since December 2021, when police indicated that Phillips took his children to an “undisclosed location”.
Their mother, Cat, expressed her joy regarding the sighting but also conveyed her feelings of being “overwhelmed,” urging Phillips to surrender to law enforcement.
She shared with the New Zealand Herald: “This situation never becomes easier… Nearly three years have passed.
“It felt like an early Christmas, and I genuinely believed they would return home this time.”
The children’s mother, Cat, commented that the response to the sighting had been inadequately slow. Pic: New Zealand Police
Despite their sighting on Thursday, police have not yet succeeded in locating Phillips and the children, even after deploying a military helicopter and using various other resources.
Cat criticized the official response to the sighting, describing it as “insufficient”.
She remarked: “More action should have been taken immediately… How can there not be greater effort exerted?
“It’s a confirmed sighting, yet no progress has been made.”
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Earlier this summer, authorities offered a reward of $80,000 (£37,000) for information regarding the missing family members, although the deadline for this reward has now passed.
Since 2021, there have been several reported sightings, including one in November 2023 when an individual believed to be Phillips was recorded on CCTV stealing a quad bike from outside a rural residence.
Law enforcement also suspects his involvement in an armed robbery of a bank in Te Kuiti that took place in May 2023, leading to the issuance of an arrest warrant later on.
Tom Phillips. Pic: New Zealand Police
Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders stated: “While we are unable to share specific details, we want to reassure the public that we have adequate resources to address any information or sightings that are reported to us.
“Our primary focus remains on the safe return of Jayda, Maverick, and Ember to their whānau [family], and we are committed to doing everything possible to facilitate that outcome.”
