AI-Summary – News For Tomorrow
Tom Phillips, who had been on the run in New Zealand with his three children since 2021 after a custody dispute, was shot dead by police during an attempted burglary at a farm supply store. The incident occurred after police responded to reports of two individuals on a quad bike, leading to a shootout where Phillips opened fire on officers. One officer was critically injured. Phillips was killed at the scene. One of the children was found at the scene. Another two children were rescued from a campsite nearby, thanks to information provided by the other child. The children’s mother expressed relief and sadness, requesting privacy as her children adjust.
News summary provided by Gemini AI.
A father who has been on the run with his three young children through New Zealand’s remote wilderness for the past four years was shot dead Monday in a shootout with cops during an attempted burglary at a supply store — with the children being found by authorities.
Tom Phillips disappeared into the Waikato wilderness with his children, Ember, now 9, Maverick, 10, and Jayda, 12, just before Christmas 2021 after a fight with their mother, who had sole custody.
Tom Phillips, who has been on the run with his three children since 2021, was shot and killed
by New Zealand police Monday. NZ Police
Nobody even knew if the three children were alive until they were spotted by a group of pig hunters in October 2024. At the time, they were seen wearing masks and carrying hefty packs while Phillips guided them through the woods.
Early Monday, police responded to a property in Piopio, part of the sprawling Waikato region where Phillips and the children were previously spotted, after receiving reports of a burglary at a rural farm supply store around 2:30 a.m. local time.
The children were spotted for the first time since their disappearance in 2024. News1
“Information came to police that described two people on a quad bike, dressed in farm clothing and wearing headlamps,” Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers said.
Phillips previously popped up on authorities’ radars for nabbing a quad bike and stealing camping supplies, including headlamps.
The driver of the bike was making off with items from the store attached when officers laid spikes out at an intersection and sent the bike careening off course.
CCTV footage from Aug. 27, 2025, appears to show Phillips and one of his children stealing grocery items from a store in Waikato. NEW ZEALAND POLICE/AFP via Getty Images
The children are now 9, 10 and 12 years old. Facebook / Missing Marokopa Children
When the bike came to a full stop, the driver pivoted and opened fire “at close range,” Rogers said.
The officers responded and killed the offender, later identified as Phillips, at the scene. They tried to administer first aid, but it was too late, Rogers said.
One officer was struck in the head and shoulder and suffered critical injuries, but made it to a hospital for surgery.
Their mother, Cat, had sole custody when Phillips took the children. Facebook / Missing Marokopa Children
One of the children, Jayda, was also located at the scene, along with a cache of firearms.
Authorities announced that Maverick and Ember were rescued from a campsite at around 4:30 p.m. Monday, thanks to vital details provided by Jayda.
“This has been a deeply traumatic incident this morning for those involved. It has been confronting and challenging in a small, rural, isolated location,” Rogers said.
One child was found at the scene. Police are still searching for the other two. Facebook / Missing Marokopa Children
The children’s mother, known only by the name Cat, is just glad to finally be one step closer to her family, but added that she is “saddened by how events had unfolded.”
“Our hope has always been that the children could be returned in a peaceful and safe way for everyone involved,” she said in a statement to RNZ.
Cat asked for privacy to help the children “adjust and reintegrate into a stable and loving environment.” Facebook / Missing Marokopa Children
“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.”
Authorities struggled to make headway in the search for Phillips in the children after facing continued challenges presented by the Waikato landscape, complete with thick forest terrains and farmland at its center.
