As officers deployed road spikes, Phillips shot at close range, critically injuring one officer by hitting him in the head. Backup officers responded with return fire, killing him instantly in front of his daughter, Jayda. Hours later, with Jayda’s assistance, police located a hidden bush campsite where Maverick and Ember were found unharmed.

On September 11, 2021, 34-year-old Tom Phillips disappeared from his farm in the small coastal town of Marokopa, home to just 69 residents, along with his three young children. His truck was found abandoned on a nearby beach hours later, leading police to fear they may have been swept out to sea. For 17 days, helicopters, ground crews, and even the Navy searched the coastline. Ultimately, Phillips and the children returned home unharmed, claiming they had been camping in the bush to clear his head. Phillips was later charged with wasting police resources. Authorities speculated that this incident could have been a ‘test run’ for the more extended disappearance in late 2021 to gauge how long they could survive in isolation.

On December 20, 2021, Tom Phillips vanished again with his three children, but unlike before, they did not return. Phillips was supposed to attend court for the September incident but failed to appear, resulting in a warrant for his arrest. By this time, he no longer had legal custody of the children, and police suspected this disappearance was related to an ongoing custody dispute with their mother, Cat.

From 2022 to 2025, Tom Phillips eluded capture in what became one of New Zealand’s most high-profile manhunts. During this period, he and his three children lived off the grid in the remote Waikato bush. In May 2023, Phillips reportedly robbed a Te Kūiti bank using a shotgun. Four months later, he surfaced on CCTV at a Hamilton Bunnings store, heavily disguised and driving a stolen vehicle. The footage showed Phillips with his face and head completely covered, wearing a beanie, reading glasses, and a mask.

He paid cash for items like head torches, batteries, seedlings, buckets, and gumboots, without the children present. In October 2024, pig hunters in dense bushland near Marokopa encountered Phillips and the children, later passing photos to police showing Phillips armed with a rifle, while the children carried heavy packs, indicating they were living in rugged conditions. These photographs provided the first clear evidence in years that the children were still alive and with their father. Despite an $80,000 reward, Phillips remained uncaught until the end.

Investigators always believed he and the children had remained close to Marokopa, the tiny settlement where he grew up. Given the length of time they survived, through harsh winters and rugged terrain, police now believe he must have received outside assistance.

Reports of sightings increased. One motorist claimed to have seen a man in camouflage walking with three children along State Highway 4 in February. Police later said the lead was not Phillips or the children. In August, CCTV captured Phillips and one of his children breaking into a rural store in Piopio using an angle grinder. They fled the scene on a quad bike, confirming once again that the children were still with him.

A few hours before dawn on September 8, Phillips and his daughter Jayda carried out another burglary at a farm supply store in Piopio. Police intercepted them using road spikes. When confronted, Phillips opened fire at close range, shooting a police officer in the head. Back-up officers returned fire, killing him at the roadside – all in front of Jayda. Hours later, Jayda provided information that led police to a hidden bush campsite 2km away, where Maverick and Ember were found alive. Police photographs of the site showed soft drink cans, tyres, a metal container and camouflaged belongings scattered through the undergrowth. Officers also recovered firearms.

Now the children are in the care of police and the New Zealand government’s welfare agency, with police saying they are settled, comfortable and together. Government spokesperson Warwick Morehu said a plan had been worked on for four years to reintegrate the children.