The most credible sightings of fugitive father Tom Phillips and the Marokopa kids
Wednesday, 9 October 2024
Each time there is a sliver of hope that fugitive father Tom Phillips might be caught, he manages to slip away.
Phillips has been on the run with his three children - Jayda, Maverick and Ember - since December 2021.
It is not the first time Phillips has disappeared with the children. They went missing under similar circumstances in September 2021, prompting extensive police searches, only to walk through the door two weeks later.
Phillips was charged with wasting police resources, but he and the children - whom he does not have full custody of - would disappear again after he failed to appear in court.
Two years and 10 months later, despite several sightings and a $80,000 reward for information on the children’s whereabouts, Phillips continues to evade police.
On Thursday, when Phillips and the children were captured on video tramping through the bush, it seemed there was a chance the wanted man was about to be caught.
But despite the sighting, Phillips appeared to have moved on by the time police arrived the next morning.
Here is a complete list of the times Phillips has been spotted.
Alleged bank robbery
In May 2023, two armed people entered an ANZ bank in Te Kūiti.
The pair demanded cash before fleeing on a black, farm-style motorbike, dropping money as they made their escape.
In September, police issued an arrest warrant for Phillips after linking him to the robbery.
He was charged with with aggravated robbery, aggravated wounding and unlawfully possessing a firearm.
A witness said the second offender had a girl’s figure, however police have been unable to confirm their identity.
A disguised visit to Bunnings
There was a flurry of confirmed Phillips sightings in the Waikato region in August 2023.
He was driving a brown/bronze 2003 Toyota Hilux flat-deck ute at the time and his children were not with him.
During a trip to Bunnings Warehouse in Te Rapa, Phillips disguised himself by wearing a beanie, glasses and a face mask.
CCTV images showed the ute leaving the store, having purchased camping supplies.
In an interview with RNZ’s Mata Reports on Wednesday, the missing children’s mother, Cat, said she was the one who reported the matter to police.
She said she was in the Bunnings carpark when she saw the ute and recognised her ex-husband through his disguise.
“It was just the way he put his head up because I just had a feeling about that ute.”
Cat believed Phillips recognised her, prompting him to drive off. She gave chase in her own vehicle, but lost him.
Phillips was later involved in an altercation with a motorist in Kawhia, about 82km away.
Police were called - even deploying the Eagle helicopter from Auckland - but could not immediately find Phillips or the ute.
The ute was later found fully submerged in some bush near Te Awamutu, emptied of the supplies purchased at Bunnings.
Attempted robbery of superette
In November 2023, police named Phillips as the prime suspect of an attempted robbery of a superette in Piopio, a small town near Te Kūiti.
It is believed one of his children was with him at the time of the incident, about 2.10am.
A stolen quad bike was used to smash the shop’s glass window, however an alarm prompted the pair to flee south on the quad bike.
Tramping with all three kids
The most recent sighting of Phillips was with all three children, for the first time since they went missing.
Last week, a group a hunters spotted the group wearing wet weather hiking gear and camouflaged backpacks north of Awamarino.
Video provided to Stuff showed the group trekking through rough, overgrown terrain before disappearing behind a hill.
Palmerston North businessman John McOviney said his 16-year-old grandson was one of the hunters who saw Phillips.
The grandson said the group looked fit and well.
McOviney told RNZ that the hunters spoke to one of the children, who asked: “Who knows we’re here?”.
The sighting was reported to police, however McOviney said officers didn’t arrive at the scene until hours later.
'There was a big contingent of 30 or 40 police out there, a helicopter and all that sort of stuff… [But] by then it had been about 12 hours since they saw them, so they were obviously quite a way away by then.'
The search was supported by the Auckland-based Eagle helicopter and a Royal New Zealand Air Force helicopter.
“While nothing further of significance was located, investigators will now assess information gathered to determine any next steps,” police detective inspector Andrew Saunders said.
“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.”