His eldest daughter Jayda was found at the scene, and her information helped authorities rescue siblings Maverick and Ember later that day from a hidden campsite.

For nearly four years, New Zealanders were haunted by one of the country’s most mysterious cases — a father who vanished into the remote wilderness with his three young children, eluding police, baffling investigators, and leaving their mother in anguish.

That story came to a violent and tragic end in the early hours of Monday, September 8, when 39-year-old Tom Phillips was shot dead in a gun battle with police following a burglary attempt in the Waikato region.

His children — Jayda, 12, Maverick, 10, and Ember, 9 — were finally located and rescued after years of speculation about whether they were even still alive.

Phillips’ disappearance dates back to December 2021, when he took the children from their home shortly before Christmas after a bitter custody dispute with their mother, known only as Cat, who had sole custody.

He retreated deep into the rugged Waikato bushland, an area marked by dense forests, steep terrain, and isolated farmland, where survival required both resilience and resourcefulness. For years, sightings were rare and fleeting.

At one point in October 2024, a group of pig hunters spotted the children wearing masks and carrying heavy packs while Phillips guided them through the forest. But despite sporadic reports and police rewards for information, authorities were unable to pin down their location.

The family’s outlaw existence often relied on theft. Phillips was repeatedly linked to stolen supplies, from quad bikes to camping gear, and even groceries lifted from rural shops.

On August 27, 2025, CCTV footage captured him and one of his children in farm clothing stealing from a store in northern Waikato, providing the most concrete evidence that they were still alive.

The images shocked the public, showing the children thin but mobile, trudging alongside their father as he orchestrated their survival outside the boundaries of the law.

It all came to a head just after 2:30 a.m. on Monday, when police responded to reports of a burglary at a farm supply store in Piopio. Officers were alerted to a quad bike leaving the property with stolen goods attached.

Acting swiftly, they deployed road spikes, forcing the vehicle off course. Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers later confirmed that when the bike came to a halt, Phillips fired at police “at close range,” critically wounding one officer in the head and shoulder.

The officer was rushed into surgery and remains in hospital, where doctors described his condition as “serious but stable.”

Police returned fire, striking Phillips fatally. Despite immediate attempts to administer first aid, he died at the scene. Beside him were firearms, stolen equipment, and his eldest daughter, Jayda, who was taken into custody by authorities.

Her account provided vital information that led officers to a hidden campsite later that day, where Maverick and Ember were rescued at around 4:30 p.m. Both children appeared exhausted but alive, having endured years of survivalist conditions under their father’s control.

“This has been a deeply traumatic incident for all those involved,” Rogers told reporters. “It was confronting and challenging in a small, rural, isolated location. Our focus now is ensuring the children’s safety and supporting them through what will be a very difficult transition.”

Their mother, Cat, who has kept a low profile during the years-long ordeal, released a statement after their recovery. “Our hope has always been that the children could be returned in a peaceful and safe way for everyone involved,” she said.

“I am saddened by how events have unfolded, but relieved my children are alive. 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.”

Friends of the family told local outlets that Cat “never stopped believing they were out there,” though she often feared the children had been “brainwashed into thinking they couldn’t come home.”

The saga of Tom Phillips had gripped New Zealand’s public imagination for years. On social media, he was sometimes painted as a reckless survivalist, other times as a father desperate to keep his children with him at any cost.

But as more details emerged of their life in hiding, public opinion hardened.

Many described his actions as selfish and damaging, robbing his children of education, healthcare, and the comfort of family stability. Police consistently maintained that his behavior put the children at risk, especially as reports of theft and firearms became more frequent.

The Waikato terrain had long shielded him from capture. Stretching across rolling hills, thick forests, and remote farmland, it provided cover and resources for someone with survival skills.

Authorities launched multiple searches over the years, even offering rewards for tips, but Phillips always managed to disappear back into the landscape.

At times, locals reported near misses — smoke from hidden campsites, stolen farm tools, and glimpses of children moving silently through the bush. Still, the fugitive family remained beyond reach until Monday’s violent confrontation.

In Piopio, a quiet farming community, the shootout has left residents shaken. “You hear about these things on TV, not at your back door,” one local farmer said.

“We all knew he was out there somewhere, but no one expected it to end like this.” Another resident recalled spotting Phillips weeks earlier, describing him as “looking wild, like a man who’d been in the bush too long.”

As news of Phillips’ death spread, public reaction was mixed — relief that the children had been found alive, sadness for the trauma they endured, and debate over how law enforcement handled the case.

Some criticized the police for not finding the children sooner, while others noted the near-impossibility of tracking a determined fugitive in New Zealand’s wilderness.

What comes next for Jayda, Maverick, and Ember remains uncertain. Experts say their reintegration will require careful support, as years of isolation have likely left them with deep emotional scars.

Psychologists note that children raised under such conditions often struggle to reconcile loyalty to a parent with the reality of trauma. For now, the priority is stability and privacy as they return to their mother’s care.

For New Zealand, the Phillips case closes one of the most gripping chapters of recent years. The story of a father who led his children into the bush to escape the system ended not in reconciliation, but in gunfire on a rural road. A

s one police officer put it quietly after the shootout, “We always hoped it wouldn’t come to this. But now, at least, the children are safe.”