Father Fugitive New Zealand dies after a 4-year-old man hunt, 3 children recovered

A fugitive father who spent almost four years on the run with his three young children was killed during a police shooting in New Zealand on Monday, ending one of the most prominent man’s chances in the country.

Tom Phillips disappeared in Waikato Wilderness with his children shortly before Christmas in 2021 following a dispute with their mother, who held exclusive custody, according to local officials.

Police said Phillips had been fatally killed during a burglary attempt in a supply store, where he was accompanied by one of his children. Phillips died on the scene, and his children – EMPER, who is now 9 years old, Maverick, 10, and Jayda, 12 years old – have been recovered safely and are now taken care of, according to officials.

“This is emotional development. Knowing that children are safe and now receive care after almost four years is absolute relief,” the interim commissioner Jill Rogers said in a statement. “We are grateful to see the end of what was three years of torment for the family of children.”

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During the four years, Tom Phillips has disappeared, surveillance sequences captured the fugitive father trying to steal a store. (New Zealand police)

The police were alerted around 2:30 a.m. on Monday for an alleged introduction to a piopio supply store, a small town located in the northern island where Phillips would have hidden with its children.

When police spotted two people on four -wheeled bikes near the burglary, they suspect that Phillips was involved and deployed road tips in a neighboring street to intercept them, according to a police press release.

Phillips opened fire on the police, hitting one in the upper body and leaving it seriously injured. Police said they had turned fire and killed Phillips. The child with him was unscathed and placed in police custody, while the injured officer was transported to the hospital for treatment.

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EMBER, now 9, Maverick, 10, and Jayda, 12, disappeared almost four years ago in New Zealand. (New Zealand police)

Later in the afternoon, the police discovered the two remaining children, a boy and a girl, alone in a makeshift camp about one mile from the shooting stage. The two were found unscathed, officials said.

The authorities have long expressed concerns about the well-being of children, saying that they were high in isolation without access to official education or health care.

Despite several observations reported in the Waikato region over the years, police efforts to locate the family had come on several occasions.

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New Zealand police discovered a makeshift campsite and quadruple bikes in the desert where Father Fugitive Tom Phillips hid his children for the last time. (New Zealand police)

Police said Phillips had already faced accusations of aggravated theft, aggravated injuries and illegal possession of a firearm.

The authorities have recovered three guns from the scene of the shooting, including the weapon he used on the officers, and found several others in his camp.

Surveillance images also captured her previously attempting to enter another retail store on August 27.

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The mother of children, Cat, described the news of the death of Phillips as bringing a “wave of complex emotions”, according to RNZ local outlet.

Cat, the mother of missing children, said that she was deeply relieved to learn that her children had been found. (New Zealand police)

“First and foremost, we are deeply relieved that for our Tamariki, this test has ended,” she said, using the word Maori for children. “(Children) have been missing a lot every day for almost four years, and we can’t wait to welcome them at home with love and care.”

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“They endured a long and difficult trip, and we ask for privacy when we help them adapt and reintegrate into a stable and loving environment,” she added.