A fugitive father who vanished with his three children is believed to have been caught on security footage breaking into a business in rural New Zealand.
Tom Phillips has been missing since 2021 along with his children — Jayda, 12, Maverick, 10, and Ember, 9 — following an alleged dispute with their mother, according to the New Zealand Police.
At around 2 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 27, CCTV from a break-in in the small town of Piopio in the Waitomo District appeared to capture “Marokopa father Tom Phillips and one of his children,” police said in a news release.
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Detective Senior Sergeant Andy Saunders noted that the store targeted may be the same one Phillips unsuccessfully attempted to burgle in November 2023. Footage shows two masked figures outside the business shortly before the burglary.
“We believe the pair in this footage are Tom and one of his children,” Saunders said. “They were in the area for 13 minutes, traveling in and out on a quadbike. The pair can be seen loading items into containers on the quadbike before heading back in the direction they came from.”
Police are now appealing for information from anyone who may have seen the quadbike between Piopio and Marokopa in the early hours of that morning. The offenders reportedly took a variety of grocery items.
Phillips is already facing multiple charges, including aggravated robbery, aggravated wounding, and unlawful possession of a firearm, police said.
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“At the heart of this are three children who have been away from their home for four years. Their well-being is our main focus,” Saunders emphasized.
Authorities also believe the suspects used a grinder to break into the store, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported. Saunders suggested this may indicate a shift in Phillips’ situation.
“Does this mean he’s potentially had a falling out with who’s been helping him, or is he just that brazen and confident that he’s happy to come out and commit a burglary?” Saunders said, per ABC.
Before this latest incident, Phillips and his children were last reported seen by pig hunters in the remote North Island on Oct. 7, 2024, according to New Zealand Police.
Earlier this month, Phillips’ family renewed their appeal for him to return home. His sister, Rozzi Phillips, told New Zealand journalist Paddy Gower on his show, Paddy Gower Has Issues, that she misses her brother deeply:
“I miss you, and I miss being part of your life,” she said during an interview published on Stuff. “You’re very special to me… I really want to see you again.”
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Fighting back tears, Rozzi added that she hoped he would see her message and realize he can still come home. She also read a letter from their mother addressed to Phillips and the children, which expressed the family’s ongoing heartbreak and longing for their return.
Authorities believe Phillips and his children have been surviving off the grid using his bushcraft skills, CNN reported.
During his years in hiding, Phillips has been accused of several crimes, including an armed robbery in the Waikato region. In September 2023, a warrant was issued over the alleged May bank robbery in Te Kuiti, where police say he escaped on a black farm-style motorbike.
When contacted about the latest CCTV footage, New Zealand Police said they had no further updates to provide.
