New Zealand father Tom Phillips sees 18 months after he and his three children Jayda, Maverick and Ember went missing
New Zealand father Tom Phillips sees 18 months after he and his three children Jayda, Maverick and Ember went missing
- Missing father Tom Phillips seen in Kawhia in northern NZ
- Father and his three children missing for 18 months
- They had previously been missing for 18 days while living in a tent
A father who has been missing with his children for 18 months has been sighted.
Tom Phillips and his three children Jayda, Maverick and Ember were reported missing from Marokopa on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island by relatives on January 18, 2022.
On August 2, the father of three was reportedly seen driving a brown/bronze 2003 Toyota Hilux flat deck car on State Highway 31 in the Kāwhia area, New Zealand’s North Island.
NZ Police say the children were not with him.
Detective Inspector Will Loughrin said police were responding to multiple reported sightings southwest of Hamilton but have so far been unable to locate the missing father.
On Aug. 2, the father-of-three was reportedly seen driving a tan/bronze 2003 Toyota Hilux flat-deck ute (pictured) on State Highway 31 in the Kāwhia area, New Zealand’s North Island.
Tom Phillips (pictured) and his three children Jayda, Maverick and Ember were reported missing in Marokopa by relatives on January 18, 2022.
“Officers will be monitoring the area today, talking to locals, and continuing to appeal to anyone with information to report to police,” Detective Inspector Loughrin said.
“Our priority is and has always been to locate Tom and the children to ensure their well-being, and we have continued to follow up on information reported to us where relevant.”
Anyone with information is asked to come forward.
The father and his three young children first went missing on September 11, 2021.
Police and emergency services, along with hundreds of volunteers and local residents, searched for the family for days after his ute was found below the high tide mark on Kiritehere Beach.
Some 18 days later, they returned to the family farm with relatives revealing that they had passed the time in a tent in thick undergrowth.
Months later, however, they disappeared again, with the last sighting of the father and his three children on December 9, 2021.
On January 12, 2022, Phillips failed to appear for his trial on charges of wasteful use of police personnel and resources, with his absence leading to a warrant for his arrest.
Relatives reportedly hired a private investigator to find them, with a $10,000 bounty for any information on their whereabouts.
When the father went missing the first time, the missing man’s uncle, Paul Phillips, expressed concern for the children’s safety.
He said that Tom Phillips is a skilled hunter who knew how to take care of himself and knew his way around the bush.
When contacting the NZ announces this week he said, “Out of respect for Tom and his safety, I can’t say anything.”