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A fugitive father who had been hiding with his three children in the dense New Zealand wilderness is believed to be dead after an armed confrontation with police, bringing a tragic end to a mystery that’s gripped the nation for almost four years.
Thomas Phillips and his children – believed to be ages 9, 10 and 12 – had been evading police since December 2021, but his time living off-grid in a remote part of the country’s North Island came to an close after police responded to a break-in at a farm shop in a tiny rural town and gave chase.
A police officer was wounded in the confrontation after being shot in the head at close range, with a high-powered rifle, police said.
One of the children was found with the now deceased man, believed to be Phillips. Now a massive and urgent search operation is underway for the remaining children – a boy and a girl – with temperatures overnight predicted to drop as low as 1 degree Celsius (34°F).
While formal identification has yet to taken place, Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers told reporters Monday: “We believe him to be Tom Phillips.”
His sister, Rozzi Phillips, confirmed to CNN affiliate and public broadcaster RNZ that he had been killed.
Phillips first vanished with his children – Jayda, Maverick and Ember – in September 2021, kicking off a huge search of land and sea near the tiny rural town of Marakopa, on the rugged west coast of New Zealand’s Waikato district.
They reappeared at a nearby farm belonging to Phillips’ family weeks later. But after Phillips was charged with wasting police time, he and the children vanished again in December that year.
Police believe they were living off-grid, with the father using his survival skills to feed, shelter and clothe his children, but despite several sightings, appeals for help, and a police search, the family’s location had remained a mystery. Each new sighting made global headlines.
Early Monday local time police were called to reports of a break-in at a farming goods store in the Poipoi, a town of less than 500 people in the western Waikato district near where Phillips is believed to have been hiding out.
A four-wheeled farm bike with two people on it was spotted leaving the town on a gravel road and police gave chase. Road spikes were set up near at an intersection about 30 kilometers down the gravel road.
“The quad bike has run over the spikes. The two occupants have been on that bike, and it has come to a rest on this rural road. A short time later, the first attending police officer at that scene has come across that stopped quad bike and been confronted by gunfire at close range,” Rogers said.
The officer was getting out of his police car when he was struck in the head and subsequently took cover in the car. Another police officer arrived at the scene seconds later and shot at the man believed to be Phillips.
Rogers confirmed one of the missing children, thought to be the other person on the farm bike, was located at the scene.
Police confirmed that the child in custody was a girl, leaving a boy and a girl still missing.
Multiple firearms were located on and around the quad bike while the wounded officer has been airlifted to Waikato Hospital to undergo surgery.
Frantic search for remaining children
Police have repeatedly voiced their serious concerns for the children Jayda, Maverick and Ember who’ve had no contact with their mother since December 2021.
A massive police operation is now underway in rural area near Marakopa, where Phillips and the children were believed to be hiding out in dense bush.
“There are a number of police staff who are actively looking for the children, which remains our number one priority at this stage, to find those children, alongside supporting our injured colleague and his (family),” said Rogers.
The children’s mother, known as Cat, said she was “deeply relieved that for our (children) this ordeal has come to an end,” in a statement to CNN affiliate RNZ on Monday morning.
“They have been dearly missed every day for nearly four years, and we are looking forward to welcoming them home with love and care,” she said
“At the same time, we are saddened by how events unfolded today. Our hope has always been that the children could be returned in a peaceful and safe way for everyone involved.”
Just two weeks ago, law enforcement released security camera footage of what they believed to be Phillips and one of the children involved in an early morning break-in at a convenience store in the same town as Monday’s shooting.
Last June police offered a reward of 80,000 New Zealand dollars ($52,000) for information leading to their location and safe return.
Phillips’ series of alleged crimes includes the armed robbery of a bank in May 2023, when two people were seen on a security camera escaping on a motorbike with cash.
Phillips already faced a range of charges including aggravated robbery, aggravated wounding, and unlawful possession of a firearm.