New Zealand police have released fresh CCTV footage believed to show a fugitive who disappeared more than three years ago with his three children.
The night-time footage shows two people in full-body clothing – who police are “confident” is Tom Phillips and one of his children – apparently breaking into a store before driving away on a quad bike.
Detective Senior Sergeant Andy Saunders told a press conference on Friday that the pair had made off with some “grocery items”.
Mr Phillips disappeared into the wilderness with his three children in December 2021. Police believe he took the kids after losing legal custody of them to their mother.
Since then a national search has been underway for Mr Phillips and his children: Ember, Maverick and Jayda.
Police released the latest footage in hopes that the community would report sightings of them.
The apparent break-in happened on Wednesday around 02:00 local time (Tuesday 14:00 GMT) in Piopio, a small town in northern New Zealand. Police said Mr Phillips was believed to have unsuccessfully targeted the same store in November 2023.
“At the heart of this are three children who have been away from their home for four years. Their wellbeing is our main focus,” Detective Senior Sergeant Andy Saunders said in the police statement.
Mr Phillips faces a range of charges including aggravated robbery, aggravated wounding and illegally possessing a firearm, police said.
Police previously said that they believed Mr Phillips had assistance from other people. Now they’re “considering what this burglary actually means”, detective Saunders said.
“Does it mean that he’s potentially had a falling out with who’s helping him? Or is he just that brazen and confident that he’s quite happy to come out at night and commit a burglary?”
Last October, Mr Phillips and his three children were publicly spotted for the first time since vanishing, when a group of teenagers spotted them trekking and filmed the encounter.
Police said at the time that the children had not been in contact with other people for years and had not received an education.
Last year authorities offered a cash reward for information that led to the safe return of the children – but the offer expired before being claimed.
Mr Phillips’s family has publicly pleaded for him to come home.
“Tom – I feel really sad that you thought you had to do this. Not considering how much we love you and can support you,” his mother wrote in a note provided to local media.
“It hurts every time I see photos of the children and of you and see some of your stuff that is still here.”
