A muddy, makeshift camp deep in the New Zealand bush which was the home of three missing children and their dad contained quad bikes, blankets and cans of fizzy drinks
The temporary dwelling of a fugitive who had been on the run with his three young children for almost four years is being treated as a crime scene by forensic experts who are searching the ramshackle camp.
New Zealand police have revealed images of the muddy site which is thought to be deep in the bush where two children of Tom Phillips were discovered on Monday.
A third minor was with their father just over a mile away when he was killed in a shootout with police following a burglary that had gone wrong. A police officer was seriously injured and is currently receiving treatment in hospital.
READ MORE: Mum of missing kids who vanished in New Zealand wilderness speaks out after dad is shot deadREAD MORE: Tom Phillips: Inside four year search for ‘bushman dad’ who vanished with 3 kids
Phillips disappeared into the wilderness with his three children, Jayda, 12, Maverick, 10, and Ember, 9, from the family farm in Marokopa in December 2021 following a bitter custody dispute with their mother.
Authorities were left stumped in their search for the family with only a few suspected sightings of them in years. However two of the children were found at the littered bush camp in the remote Waikato region of New Zealand’s North Island after the third child provided information about the site’s location.
In images released by police, two quad bikes with blankets draped over them can be seen among the trees.
There are also spare tyres on the ground, one with a couple of Sprite drinks cans sitting on top and a large white plastic container, possibly used to store water or fuel. Several firearms and ammunition were reportedly discovered at the scene deep in the bush.
A local property owner told the NZ Herald the area where the squalid campsite was discovered would have made it “very easy to hide”.
“It’s incredibly dense, dense bush,” they said. “It’s all limestone country, and so there are very few open streams. It’s all kind of really broken terrain, so very, very easy to hide. We’ve got no idea where the place is. We’ve been looking for four years. We’re all wondering where on earth this place might be.”
Police believe it was a temporary camp and it wasn’t where they had spent most of their time. They are confident the family were moving around and may have been helped by someone else.
The latest search for the two children had been underway for almost 12 hours when they were found. They were described as being “engaged” when they spoke to police who gave them snacks and drinks.
The breakthrough came after police received a call in the early hours of Monday about an attempted burglary at a hardware store in the small town of Piopio.
Spikes were laid on the road they believed Phillips would travel down with his third child who had accompanied him. When his quad bike came to a halt he opened fire on the lone officer tn the scene with a high powered rifle.
The officer was shot in the head and shoulder and sustained critical injuries. A second officer arrived and shot the gunman dead. The child was taken into custody where they gave vital clues as to the whereabouts of their siblings.
Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers confirmed the children were unharmed but that their mental health was a top priority. In a statement she said: “While they are safe, this is the start of a long journey of recovery and their welfare remains our top priority. For that reason, we will not be going into details about where they are now or their mental state.
“We can say the children were found alone and the scene has been locked down and will be subject to a forensic examination that we expect will last several days. A significant amount of work lies ahead of us, but we are grateful to see an end to what has been three years of torment for the children’s family.”
The mother of the children, known as Cat, told local media outlet RNZ that she was “relieved” but also “saddened” by the outcome after four years of hell.
“First and foremost, we are deeply relieved that for our tamariki (children) this ordeal has come to an end,” she said, adding that the children “have been dearly missed every day for nearly four years”.
She continued: “We are looking forward to welcoming them home with love and care. 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.”