Tom Phillips' kids found alone in remote bush campsite, hours after he was killed in a police shootout

Monday, 8 September 2025

After nearly four years on the run, fugitive Tom Phillips has been shot dead and his three children have been found. Isaac Davidson and Rachel Moore report.

One of his three children was taken into custody after the violent confrontation early on Monday morning, in which Phillips allegedly shot a male police constable in the head with a high-powered rifle before being fatally shot by another police officer.

His other two children were found later in the afternoon alone at a campsite near Te Anga Road.

It came barely a week after police said they were desperate to avoid a confrontation with Phillips because of the risk he posed to anyone who came looking for him - and the possibility he could hurt his own children.

The two other children are found

Police confirmed the two remaining missing children were found on Monday at about 4.30pm.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers said they were found at a remote bush campsite off Te Anga Road.

“They are with police officers now and being removed from that location,” she said.

'I can confirm that the children are well and uninjured, and they will be taken to a location this evening for medical checks.'

'We are very grateful for the information we received from the public this morning that supported our offices in that initial event as it unfolded this morning.“

The child who was with Phillips in the morning helped police locate the other siblings, Rogers said.

'They have provided information that has been crucial in narrowing our search boundaries this afternoon.'

Rogers said the children were uninjured and would undergo medical assessments this evening.

'These are small, rural and tight knit communities. They look after our people and we're very grateful for the support that they've provided this morning.'

The police response

Police said last month that they felt an aggressive search for Phillips was the wrong approach because he posed a risk to anyone who confronted him and was also possibly a risk to his children.

“This will take as long as it takes,” said Detective Senior Sergeant Andy Saunders at the time. “We are not going to get into a confrontation situation.”

Those comments were revisited today after Phillips’ death in a deadly shootout with police.

When it was put to Rogers that the last thing police wanted was a confrontation, Rogers said: “This is a devastating outcome for all involved”.

Saunders echoed her comments: “It’s not the outcome we wanted, but we’ve got one child out safely. Our focus is now on the other children and getting them out safely.”

Asked why the first police officer at the scene was alone, Rogers defended his actions.

“I’ll reinforce the dynamics of working in an environment like this. He knew that he had support coming, and when you’re travelling these roads at night, I can tell you they are completely dark. What he ran across was completely unexpected.”

Police would not be drawn on who fired first in the shootout or whether the first police officer to arrive confronted Phillips.

As is routine for a fatal police shooting, the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) will carry out an investigation.

The wounded police officer had critical but “survivable” injuries and is recovering in Waikato Hospital.

How was Phillips finally caught?

The intuition of a local police officer was a key part of catching Phillips.

After previous sightings, the fugitive has evaded detection. On this occasion, police guessed his possible escape route - and were correct.

At 2.30am, police received an alert of a burglary at a farm supply store in Piopio, a small town in the Waitomo District.

The location and description of the burglars led police to believe it could be Phillips and backup was called.

Phillips was seen on the quad bike with a passenger on Waipuna Rd. That road intersects with Te Anga Rd, a main route which leads back to Marokopa - where he was believed to be hiding out.

At around 3.20am, officers laid spikes on the intersection between the two roads - around 20km from Piopio.

Phillips then rode the quad bike onto the spikes, which halted the vehicle a short distance on. A police officer arrived at the scene in their patrol car, where they were shot at from a short distance. Another patrol car arrived and officers “engaged” with Phillips, shooting him dead.

Asked today how police knew where to place the road spikes, Rogers said: “I call it officer intuition. It’s a rural area, it’s a long gravel road, approximately 30km through there, knowing that if he was heading back to the Marokopa area, that would be his route of choice. And that appears to be what has unfolded this morning.”

Photographs of the scene show a patrol car with at least five gunshots in the windscreen. Another patrol car is parked immediately behind it. Phillips lies prone on the road, around two car-lengths away, with medical supplies on the road around him.

The quad bike has come to rest against a bank on the side of the road. Every surface is covered with tied-down supplies. A gun is propped up against the bank.

Police said multiple firearms were found on the quad bike, including a high-powered rifle which was shot at the police officer.

How did this all start?

Phillips and his three children first went missing in September 2021, when his Toyota Hilux was found parked on the sand at Kiritehere Beach, south of Marokopa.

A huge land and sea search failed to find them but they returned to the family farm after 19 days, with Phillips’ sister saying they had been living in a tent in the bush.

Phillips was charged with wasting police resources and had a court date set for early 2022. However, he went missing again with his three children on December 9, 2021. An arrest warrant was issued when he failed to turn up to court.

At the time, police said he had taken the children to an unknown location in western Waikato after an argument with their mother.

Phillips and his former partner Cat were in a custody dispute in the Family Court.

For two years, Phillips and his children disappeared without a trace. In August 2023, he was alleged to have stolen a ute, which was found in Te Anga - near the site of today’s shooting.

A month later, Phillips was charged with aggravated robbery after allegedly robbing a bank in Te Kuiti and discharging a firearm at a supermarket worker, accompanied by what was believed to be one of his children.

In June 2024, police offered a $80,000 reward and legal immunity for information about Phillips’ location. After a tip-off, checkpoints were set up around Marokopa but Phillips was not found.

There were further sightings that same year. The fugitive and his family were spotted walking through farmland by pig hunters. Police were called but again he was not found.

Then, 12 days ago, police believe that Phillips and one of his children broke into a superette in the small Waikato town of Piopio at around 2am. It came a week after his family in Marokopa had made a heartfelt public plea for him to bring the children home.

The robbery prompted police to suggest that Phillips might no longer be getting support from others, and could be taking more risks.

And last week, experts who were watching the case closely told Stuff that as his time in isolation dragged on, the risk of a violent confrontation was increasing.