Mystery remains over fugitive dad Tom Phillips shot dead after four years on run

A ‘very interesting detail’ was found on fugitive dad Tom Phillips’ quad bike after he was caught and shot dead by police on Monday morning – after four years on the run with his three children

New Zealand police are grappling with a baffling detail after a shocking end to a four-year manhunt for fugitive father Tom Phillips^[1].

Shoeboxes were found on Phillips’ quad bike after he was caught and shot dead by police^[2] in western Waikato, on the upper North Island, New Zealand, on Monday morning. The fugitive father had been on the run with his three children – Ember, 9, Maverick, 10, and Jayda, 12 – and was finally caught following reports of an armed robbery at a Piopio farm supply store, which alerted authorities to their location. Jayda was with him during the shooting, while her younger siblings were rescued from a nearby campsite two hours later.

READ MORE: Tom Phillips shot dead as his missing kids found alive after four years on run^[3]READ MORE: Tom Phillips: Inside four year search for ‘bushman dad’ who vanished with 3 kids^[4]

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers called the boxes of shoes a “very interesting” detail. “We know that Mr Phillips has been the suspect in a number of burglaries,” he told the NZ Herald. “At the moment, one of the things that we’ll be doing is obviously connecting the dots and trying to better understand where equipment, clothing, whatever it may be, has come from.”

Photos from the campsite, just two kilometres from the shooting site, revealed the living conditions the children endured. Blankets draped over quad bikes, a large container on the ground, and two cans of Sprite perched on a tyre painted a picture of makeshift survival. Jayda was “very, very helpful” in clarifying her siblings’ location, Chambers said, but she did not accompany police to the site.

“We would not put her alongside us as we move forward to the campsite because that presents a risk to her and we wouldn’t be prepared to put her in any risk at all,” he added.

Commissioner Chambers confirmed multiple firearms were also recovered from the campsite. “We are interested in how Phillips was able to access multiple firearms,” he said. “There’s a lot of work to do over the next few months that will help us determine whether or not there is anybody else that’s been involved.”

He added: “Our investigation will help determine what other modes of transport he may have used or others may have helped with. No one who does this to children, no one who unleashes high-powered rifles on my staff is a hero. Simple as that.”

Police Minister Mark Mitchell emphasised the children’s welfare. “They have seen and been exposed to things that children in our country should not be. There’s a careful plan with everyone becoming involved at the right time in terms of making sure that they’re put on a really strong and healthy pathway to recovery.”

Oranga Tamariki regional commissioner Warwick Morehu confirmed: “I can confirm that the children are settled, they are doing well under the circumstances and engaging with the staff. They are settled, they are comfortable. They are together. I want to assure you all that these tamariki will be provided with whatever help assistance they may need for however long they may need it.”

Phillips and his three young children vanished from the rural Waikato town of Marokopa in December 2021 after a dispute with their mother. The dad is alleged to have committed a bank robbery in September 2023.

All three children were first sighted with their father on October 3, 2024, when they were spotted walking through Marokopa farmland – and are believed to have lived in the wilderness ever since.