Tom Phillips, the New Zealand father who had been on the run with his three children since 2021, was shot dead by police on Monday following a burglary near Piopio. One of the 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 into the Waikato wilderness just before Christmas 2021 after a dispute with their mother. The children—Jayda, 12, Maverick, 10, and Ember, 9—had been living in hiding with him, evading authorities for nearly four years.
The case captivated New Zealand, with multiple searches, rewards, and public appeals failing to locate the family. Phillips came from a farming background in the remote settlement of Marokopa, a tiny coastal community of fewer than 100 people, two hours from Hamilton. The dense forests, limestone caves, and rugged terrain of the Waikato region made police efforts difficult.
Phillips had previously gone missing with his children in September 2021 for 19 days, claiming it was an extended camping trip. He was charged with wasting police time but disappeared again three months later, failing to appear in court in January 2022. Sightings were rare; in May 2023, he allegedly committed an armed bank robbery in Te Kūiti with one child, and in November 2023, he attempted to rob a grocery store.
In October 2024, footage emerged of an adult and three children walking through Marokopa farmland, believed to be Phillips and his children. A police search the next day found nothing. Last month, Phillips' sister Rozzi publicly appealed for him to come home, but the saga ended tragically on Monday.
