New photos have emerged of the ‘grim’ and ‘dimly lit’ main campsite used by fugitive Tom Phillips and his three children.
Phillips was fatally shot by police after he opened fire on an officer during a confrontation following his break-in at a store in Piopio, located on New Zealand’s North Island, in the early hours of Monday morning.
He spent almost four years on the run with his three children in remote bushland.
Jayda, aged 12, was present with her father at the time of his death and subsequently provided law enforcement with crucial information that led to the location of the other children, Ember, nine, and Maverick, 10, later that afternoon.
Authorities found the main campsite used by the family just 200m from where Ember and Maverick were located.
Detective Senior Sergeant Andrew Saunders revealed the site was well hidden in steep and uneven terrain which was difficult to access.
‘It’s a very grim, dimly lit area, surrounded by dense bush,’ he said.
New photos released by police of the makeshift camp on Wednesday showed various items, including a tent, a gas bottle and numerous drink containers.
New Zealand Police believe they have discovered the main campsite that had been used by Tom Phillips and his three children
Detective Senior Sergeant Andrew Saunders revealed the site was well hidden and difficult to access
Detective Senior Sergeant Saunders described the campsite as ‘grim’ and ‘dimly lit’
After holding strong suspicions, police said it was now apparent that Phillips had been receiving assistance while on the run.
‘We are currently looking at a number of items at the site,’ Det Saunders said.
‘Aside from the burglaries we are now able to link to Tom, it is apparent that he had outside help.’
Officers will now turn their focus on identifying those involved in helping Phillips, as the police operation enters a new phase.
The police vehicles and the quad bike involved in the shootout were removed from Te Anga Road on Tuesday night.
Police will continue to gather evidence from the campsite in the coming days.
‘It has been a challenging operation, but I am relieved and delighted that we have been able to return the children to safety,’ Det Saunders said.
‘While no one wanted it to end in these circumstances, it is highly satisfying as an investigator that the children have been safely returned.
Police are adamant that Tom Phillips and his children received outside help while on the run
Jayda, Maverick and Ember (all pictured) are settling well in the care of authorities after spending almost four years in the wilderness
‘We would like to express our gratitude to the public for their unwavering support towards the police, and especially for the compassion and discretion shown in respecting the children’s privacy.’
The police officer wounded when he was shot by Phillips on Monday remains in Waikato Hospital.
Phillips vanished from the rural town of Marokopa in December 2021 with his children following a custody dispute with their mother Cat.
Despite an NZ$80,000 reward and multiple search operations, the family had been living in the wilderness ever since.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers informed RNZ earlier in the week that Jayda supplied ‘critical information to ensure a safe strategy’ to locate the other children.
She revealed her father had guns at a rural campsite where Maverick, 10, and Ember, 9, were later found.
‘We knew that there were firearms,’ he said.
Commissioner Chambers said Phillips and his children frequently moved between different campsites.
‘We understand that Mr. Phillips frequently moved throughout this expansive region and did not remain in one place the entire time,’ Commissioner Chambers stated.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell also said Phillips had ‘multiple high-powered firearms’ and was ‘very unstable in his thinking’.
‘I believe the entire nation has witnessed over the past 24 hours just how perilous the situation was, and how it could have potentially resulted in an even greater tragedy, which would have been the loss of one, two, or three young lives,’ Mitchell remarked.
Commissioner Chambers said the officer shot by Phillips spent ‘a good chunk’ of Monday in surgery with serious injuries to his head and shoulder.
