How a Break-In Led to Capture of Off-the-Grid Fugitive Dad — and the Rescue of His 3 Children By Sean Neumann

For nearly four years, Tom Phillips and his three children were seldom spotted after first disappearing in December 2021 and allegedly living off the grid in a heavily wooded area on the outskirts of their rural New Zealand settlement.

But every once in a while, the fugitive father and his missing children would be seen by locals and sometimes even caught on camera as he popped back into town to raid local stores, appearing to gather supplies to bring back to the family’s camp.

Phillips had been on the run with his three children, who he does not have legal custody over, since reportedly getting into a dispute with his wife four years ago, who has anxiously awaited updates from local police who have struggled to track down her children and their estranged father. That is until Monday, Sept. 8, when local authorities finally caught up with Phillips after receiving a call from a local farm supply business who called in a report that led police to crash his latest local robbery.

New Zealand Police announced in a news release that Phillips was shot dead Monday afternoon amid a shootout with officers after they responded to the report of a break-in at the store. The deadly incident brought a dramatic end to the four-year manhunt for Phillips and his three young children, who local police said have now been taken into custody as officials monitor their physical and mental health.

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Police said one of Phillips’ children was with him during the encounter with police, just as one of the kids joined him two weeks ago when The Guardian reported that CCTV security footage allegedly caught Phillips and one of his kids wearing masks, hoods, and gloves to hide their identities while robbing another local convenience store nearby.

The robberies were part of a years-long pattern used by Phillips, who failed to show up for a court appearance in January 2022, weeks after he and his children were reported missing by their mother.

According to The Guardian, Phillips committed an armed bank robbery in May 2023 while still in hiding with his children. Later in November of that year, Phillips reportedly tried to rob a small grocery store as well. The father and his three children were spotted on a number of other occasions throughout 2023, and once again in October 2024 when local pig hunters happened across them while out walking through Marokopa farmland along the western coast of New Zealand’s North Island. 

Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers spoke at the scene of the shootout Monday and told reporters that the three children —  Ember, Maverick and Jayda, believed to be ages 9, 10, and 12 — were found “unharmed, and are now safe.”

“This is an emotional development,” Rogers said. “To know the children are safe, and now receiving care after nearly four years, is an absolute relief.”

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The children’s mother, Cat, told Radio New Zealand that she was “deeply relieved” that her children were found safe and that “this ordeal has come to an end.”

“[The children] have been dearly missed every day for nearly four years,” the kids’ mother said, “and we are looking forward to welcoming them home with love and care.”