A fugitive father who spent nearly four years on the run with his three young children was killed during a police shootout in New Zealand on Monday, bringing an end to one of the country’s most high-profile manhunts. 

Tom Phillips vanished into the Waikato wilderness with his children shortly before Christmas in 2021 following a dispute with their mother, who held sole custody, according to local officials.

Police said Phillips was fatally shot during an attempted burglary at a supply store, where he was accompanied by one of his children. Phillips died at the scene, and his children – Ember, now believed to be 9, Maverick, 10, and Jayda, 12 – were safely recovered and are now in care, according to officials.

“This is an emotional development. To know the children are safe, and now receiving care after nearly four years, is an absolute relief,” Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers said in a statement. “We are grateful to see an end to what has been three years of torment for the children’s family.”

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

Cat, the mother of the three missing children, said she was deeply relieved to hear that her children were found. (Facebook/ Missing Marokopa Children/New Zealand Police)

“First and foremost, we are deeply relieved that for our tamariki this ordeal has come to an end,” she said, using the Māori word for children. “[The children] have been dearly missed every day for nearly four years, and we are looking forward to welcoming them home with love and care.”

“They have endured a long and difficult journey, and we ask for privacy as we help them adjust and reintegrate into a stable and loving environment,” she added.