Chilling vision of missing New Zealand family emerges

A fugitive father and the three children he ran off with almost three years ago have been spotted alive and well trekking through remote bushland.

A man and his children who vanished almost three years ago have been sighted trekking through remote bushland, with the chilling footage sparking a major police operation.

Eerie vision shows fugitive Tom Phillips marching through a grass field near the small town of Marokopa on the North Island of New Zealand, with his three kids following behind in single file.

All four are seen carrying backpacks and wearing camouflage clothing, and have been described by one of the witnesses as appearing “equipped for the bush”.

A pair of young hunters came across wanted man Phillips with his kids, Jayda, 11, Maverick, 9, and Ember, 8, on Thursday at about 6.30pm local time and began recording on a mobile phone.

They’re seemingly unaware they are being filmed from afar, in what is the first confirmed sighting of all four since they vanished in December 2021.

Missing kids Jayda, 11, Maverick, 9, and Ember, 8, taken by their father Tom Phillips, have been spotted for the first time since 2021. Picture: TVNZ

Missing kids Jayda, 11, Maverick, 9, and Ember, 8, taken by their father Tom Phillips, have been spotted for the first time since 2021. Picture: Waikato Police

Phillips does not have legal custody over his children, and took them to a “location unknown” in 2021.

He is alleged to have breached a custody order by doing so, with the kids believed to have had no education or contact with others since then.

The children’s mother Cat told the New Zealand Herald she is “relieved” the trio are alive and seemingly in good health. She instantly recognised her kids, even though their faces are covered in the footage, she told the newspaper.

“I’m so happy that they’re all there. I’m so relieved to see all three of my babies. They’re all alive,” she said.

A still from vision taken of a fugitive man and his three missing children.

Since disappearing, despite multiple extensive police searches, offers of a reward and public appeals for information, there has been no sign of the family – until now.

Police have since conducted another large-scale search of the area where the vision was shot. Phillips and the children have not been located.

In a brief exchange with the hunters, one of the kids reportedly asked if anyone knew he and the children were there.

Farmer John McOviney told the New Zealand Herald his teenage grandson, one of the hunters, had briefly spoken with them.

“The children asked: ‘Who else knows we’re here?’ And then they just kept on walking. They were all packed up, they had big packs on. I think the father sort of kept them moving.”

In another interview, Mr McOviney told radio station Newstalk ZB that Phillips was carrying a large rifle.

Tom Phillips is wanted by police for several offences. Picture: Waikato Police

One of the teen hunters called police immediately and the footage was handed over, he added.

Police descended on the area that night and two helicopters, including a military chopper equipped with night vision, were deployed.

The sighting has been described by investigators as sparking “a positive line of inquiry”.

“Patrols began in the area on Thursday night and a search was launched the following morning,” Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders said.

“While nothing further of significance was located, investigators will now assess information gathered to determine any next steps.

“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.”

Missing kids Jayda, 11, Maverick, 9, and Ember, 8, taken by their father Tom Phillips, have been spotted for the first time since 2021. Picture: Facebook

Missing kids Jayda, 11, Maverick, 9, and Ember, 8, taken by their father Tom Phillips, have been spotted for the first time since 2021. Pictured: With mum Cat before they went missing. Picture: Facebook

Police are remaining tight-lipped about what their next steps are “for operational reasons”.

“While we cannot go into detail, we want to reassure the public that we have the resources in place to respond to any information or reports of sightings that come in.

“Our focus is very much on the safe return of Jayda, Maverick and Ember to their whānau [the Maori word for family] and we are doing all that we can to make that happen.”

An arrest warrant was issued for Phillips shortly after he disappeared in late 2021. He is also wanted for allegedly robbing a bank in Te Kuiti at gunpoint in May 2023.

A few months after that, police say he was spotted in a supermarket wearing a disguise, before getting into a fight with a member of the public and allegedly stealing a car.

In November last year, police believe Phillips and one of the children smashed the front window of a store before stealing a bicycle.

Members of the public have been warned not to approach him if spotted, as he may be armed.

Missing kids Jayda, 11, Maverick, 9, and Ember, 8, taken by their father Tom Phillips, have been spotted for the first time since 2021. Picture: Facebook

In previous remarks about the case, police have said they believe members of the public have assisted Phillips to remain undetected.

Earlier this year, the children’s mother released an emotional video message urging anyone with information to come forward.

“I am standing here before you today begging you for your help to bring my babies home,” she said.

“They are just innocent children, they do not deserve to be treated this way. They do not deserve the life that is being provided to them right now.”

Shortly after, she released a letter Phillips sent to her several months after disappearing, in which he insists he “has a good heart and I mean well”.

“I don’t know what to say or do to help you forgive me,” it read.

“I am not desperate to be with someone or I would have already done it. I don’t want to be with someone I want to be with you Catherine, the woman I have been in love with for over seven years.

“I can’t make you forgive me. Only you can make that choice and I know you don’t have to.

“I know if I ever give up trying to make things right I will regret it forever. I’m sorry for everything I have ever said or done to hurt you. These past nine months I have suffered everyday knowing I should have dealt with things better and knowing that I f***ed up.”

Bizarrely, a man purporting to be a relative of Phillips told 1News in June that the fugitive had “done nothing wrong” and should be “left alone”.