Tom Phillips, the New Zealand father who evaded police for nearly four years with his three children in the remote Waikato wilderness, was shot dead by police on Monday following a burglary near Piopio. One of his children was present during the exchange of fire, while the other two remained missing for hours after his death.
Phillips, who did not have legal custody of his children, fled with them just before Christmas 2021 after a dispute with their mother. The children—Jayda, now 12, Maverick, 10, and Ember, 9—were the subject of a nationwide search that included multiple police operations, rewards of up to NZ$80,000, and public appeals from family members.
The vast Waikato region, with its dense forests, limestone caves, and isolated coastal settlements, provided ample hiding places. Phillips came from a farming family in Marokopa, a tiny settlement of fewer than 100 people, and was believed to have survived by living off the land, purchasing camping items and seedlings, and possibly taking livestock from local farms.
Rare sightings of Phillips and his children included an alleged armed bank robbery in Te Kūiti in May 2023 and an attempted robbery at a grocery store later that year. In October 2024, pig hunters filmed an adult and three children walking through Marokopa farmland, believed to be Phillips and his children, but a police search the next day found no trace.
Last month, Phillips's sister Rozzi made a public appeal for him to come home, saying the family was there for him. The case has captivated New Zealand, with many puzzled by how Phillips managed to evade detection for so long in a country of close-knit communities.
