New Zealand police have released CCTV footage they believe shows a fugitive father and one of his children breaking into a shop in the rural town of Piopio, nearly four years after the family vanished into the bush.
Tom Phillips, who disappeared in December 2021 with his three children – Jayda, now 12, Maverick, 10, and Ember, 9 – has been living off-grid in the forests of the Waikato region on the North Island, according to police, reported the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He does not have legal custody of the children.
Detective senior sergeant Andy Saunders said the clip, filmed at about 2am on Wednesday, showed two masked people loading items into containers on a quad bike outside the store before it was burgled.
“We believe the pair in this footage are Tom and one of his children,” he said, according to CNN. “They were in the area for 13 minutes, having travelled in and out on a quad bike.”
The same shop was also targeted, unsuccessfully, in November 2023. Investigators suspect Mr Phillips used a grinder to gain entry on this occasion and stole groceries. Mr Saunders added that police were considering whether the break-in suggested Mr Phillips had fallen out with supporters believed to be assisting him.
Mr Phillips already faces a series of charges, including aggravated robbery, aggravated wounding and unlawful possession of a firearm. He is also accused of an armed bank robbery in May 2023, when two masked suspects fled on a motorbike with cash.
Last year police offered a reward of 80,000 New Zealand dollars (£37,000) for information leading to the family’s safe return, reported CNN.
Authorities believe Mr Phillips is using survival skills to shelter and feed the children in remote terrain, and warn that any confrontation could endanger them.
Suggestions that elite military forces such as the Special Air Service (SAS) should be deployed have been dismissed. “Our focus is bringing those kids out safely. We’re not going to get into a confrontation situation,” Mr Saunders said, reported RNZ.
The children’s mother, who identified herself as Cat, made an emotional appeal on Facebook last year, urging anyone with information to come forward.
“I’m standing here before you today, begging you for your help to bring my babies home,” she said, reported CNN. She voiced particular concern for Ember, who has asthma and needs medical care “that cannot be provided from the land”.
In recent weeks, Mr Phillips’ family has broken its silence in an attempt to persuade him to come home. His sister, Rozzi Phillips, read out a letter from their mother Julia on national television.
“It hurts every time I see photos of the children and of you and see some of your stuff that is still here, thinking what could have been if you had not gone away,” it said, according to Stuff.co.NZ. “Every day I wake up, and hope that today will be the day that you will come home.”
Ms Phillips also issued her own plea: “I miss you, and I miss being part of your life … You’re very special to me. I really want to see you and the kids and be part of your lives again.”
Mr Saunders stressed that police remained open to negotiation. “At the heart of this are three children who have been away from their home for four years. Their wellbeing is our main focus,” he said.
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