Police detail four-year manhunt for fugitive father who was killed during standoff with officers
New Zealand police say Tom Phillips was unlikely to surrender and that multiple sightings of him and his children over years were deemed too dangerous to intervene.
New Zealand police released fresh details Friday about the four-year manhunt for Tom Phillips, the fugitive father who, along with his three children, remained at large after vanishing from Marokopa in December 2021. Phillips was killed by police near Piopio on September 8 after an armed confrontation at a farm supply store. Police said Phillips was never going to surrender peacefully and was prepared to put his children at risk to avoid capture.
Detective Superintendent Ross McKay said thousands of hours were spent tracking Phillips and his children. He noted that intelligence suggested Phillips had firearms and would fight to avoid capture, and that investigators observed sightings of the family in the bush on multiple occasions but judged it too dangerous to intervene. The children were tracked at times but never in circumstances that allowed a safe intervention. The priority throughout remained the safe recovery of the children, with the family frequently moving camps and changing routines, complicating the search.
During the final phase, the eldest daughter Jayda, then 12, guided investigators to a campsite about two kilometres from the standoff, where the two younger siblings were discovered hiding. The group had moved in and out of bush camps for years, with local sightings suggesting they had access to supplies but were not easily approached by officers. Reports from the scene described a makeshift shelter built from branches and tarpaulin, and a cache of gear including gas bottles, cooking equipment, and two vehicles recovered or abandoned at the last site. Investigators described the site as a sprawling bivouac, with evidence of regular, if irregular, movement.
Airbus drones clocked more than 110 flight hours over a two-week operation in April, while police specialist units such as the Special Tactics Group, the Armed Offenders Squad, Search and Rescue, and the Tactical Operations Group supported the search. The New Zealand Defence Force also deployed helicopters and ground units. Geospatial and thermal imaging, along with motion-activated cameras, were used to track movements and assess risk. Police said the operation never lost its focus on the children’s safety and that all options were weighed before any intervention.
The family’s final resting sites and the scale of materials found at the last camp have fed ongoing questions about whether outside help enabled their survival. Authorities have said the investigation remains active and that there are strong lines of inquiry into possible accomplices linked to Phillips. A reward of 80,000 New Zealand dollars offered for information did not yield tips leading to an arrest. Community reaction in New Zealand has been divided, with some locals offering support to the family, while others condemned the violence and alleged exploitation of the children.
The case traces back to September 2021, when Phillips disappeared with his children after a custody dispute. His ute was found abandoned on a beach, raising fears that the family had drowned; they later surfaced claiming they had been camping. He faced charges for wasting police resources but vanished again in December 2021 before a court appearance. In the years since, Phillips was linked to other criminal activity, including a 2023 armed bank robbery and repeated break-ins for supplies. Authorities say the family did not stay at any single campsite for long, and sightings were sporadic and often fleeting.
Locals and academics have weighed in on the broader implications. A University of Auckland law professor cautioned that the children should not be held responsible for helping authorities identify possible supporters, stressing that adults coordinate any aid. Commissioner Andrew Coster was blunt in his assessment of Phillips, emphasising that he is not a hero and that the violence against officers and use of high-powered firearms are incompatible with any heroic narrative. The mother, identified in interviews as Cat, released a statement earlier this month expressing relief that the ordeal is ending and a desire to reunite the children with their family in a safe, supportive environment.
With the police saying the investigations and reviews remain ongoing, authorities stressed that no further information would be released at this time. The aim is to safeguard the children and unravel any network that may have aided Phillips while avoiding sensational treatment of the family’s four-year ordeal.