The mum shared her heartbreaking theory after her three children Jayda, 11, Maverick, nine, and eight-year-old Ember were spotted with their on-the-run father for the first time in three years
A devastated mum whose children vanished with their on-the-run father has issued an emotional plea after they were spotted for the first time in three years.
Tom Phillips, 37, went on the run in September 2021 after allegedly robbing a bank and fleeing alongside his two daughters and son in New Zealand. The missing children have not been seen since – but on Wednesday, police said they had received a “credible sighting” of Tom and the children hiking through a bush area near Marokopa on the country’s North Island.
Local media said the father and Jayda, 11, Maverick, nine, and eight-year-old Ember, had been spotted from a distance by a group of 16-year-old pig hunters.
The teenage hunters had initially believed the four of them to be poachers, and shouted at them from a distance of around 60 metres (196ft) away, before hearing a reply from Jayda. One of the 16-year-olds told Stuff: “I said, ”This is private property”, and she was like, ‘Yeah… duh’. Then I asked, ‘Does anyone know you’re on here’ and she said, ‘No, just you guys’.”
Cat, the mother of the missing children, has now said she wonders whether Jayda’s response was a cry for help. She said in a tearful TV interview: “Is that a cry for help? Is that ‘Does anybody know that we’re here? Is anyone coming for us?’ We don’t get to hear the tone of her voice but to me, that’s what I think. It’s like she’s trying to say something without actually saying something because her father is right there, and she’s worried if she says the wrong thing and words it the wrong way, she’s worried about later repercussions.”
The dad and three kids were wearing camouflage gear and carrying large backpacks when they were seen, according to the teenage hunters. Phillips was walking around 10 metres (32ft) ahead of his children, who were lined up in single file. Members of the public have warned not to approach him. New Zealand Police Acting Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders said: “There’s obviously not the gold nugget … of this is where he is. We haven’t got that yet. We have concerns for the welfare of the children who have been living in isolation for the past two and a half years, with no connection to others and without formal education and healthcare.”
Police in New Zealand have confirmed the sighting but say they have been unable to locate Phillips and the children after a search by police helicopter and armed officers. He is thought to have put together a network of hideaways in the area surrounding his former home in Marokopa. A £38,500 (NZ$80,000) reward for information leading to Phillips’ whereabouts was issued in June.