New Zealand father who evaded authorities with his 3 children for years is shot dead by police

The child who was with Phillips during the robbery was taken into custody. Representational Pic

A man who evaded authorities with his three children in the remote New Zealand countryside for nearly four years was shot and killed by a police officer on Monday, law enforcement officials said.

One child was with Tom Phillips at the time of the confrontation, and the other two children were found in the forest hours after the shoot-out, in which a police officer was critically injured.

The December 2021 disappearance of Phillips and his children now about 9, 10, and 11 years old, had confounded investigators for years, as they scoured the densely forested area where they believed the family was hiding. Authorities believe the family never travelled far from the isolated North Island rural settlement of Marokopa, but credible sightings were rare.

Phillips has not yet been formally identified, but police believe he was the man who was killed.

A police officer was shot and critically injured

A police officer was shot in the head and critically injured during a confrontation with Phillips after he robbed an agricultural supplies store early Monday morning, according to New Zealand's Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers, who spoke to reporters in Hamilton.

The child who was with Phillips during the robbery was taken into custody.

The injured officer underwent surgery at a hospital. While his injuries are survivable, Rogers said he was shot multiple times with a high-powered rifle, and further surgeries were expected.

Fugitive's other two children found hours after shoot-out

Immediately after the incident, the whereabouts of Phillips' other two children were unknown, and authorities expressed serious concern for their safety.

About 13 hours after their father's death, however, Rogers told reporters that the children had been found unaccompanied at a remote campsite in the rugged forest. The child taken into custody had cooperated with authorities, helping them narrow the search area, she said.

The farm supplies store targeted in Monday's robbery is located in a small town in the same sprawling farming region of Waikato, south of Auckland, where the family had previously vanished. The case has captivated New Zealanders, and authorities made regular but unsuccessful public appeals for information.

Sightings of Phillips were limited to surveillance footage, which showed him allegedly committing crimes in the area. He was wanted for an armed bank robbery in May 2023 while on the run, during which he was reportedly accompanied by one of his children and fired shots at a member of the public.

Authorities believed Phillips had help

Phillips did not have legal custody of the children, Detective Senior Sergeant Andrew Saunders said in 2024. Authorities confirmed the children had no access to formal education or health care since their disappearance.

Police have long believed Phillips had assistance in hiding his family, and some residents in the rural area expressed support for him. A reward of 80,000 New Zealand dollars (approx. 47,000 dollars), considered large by New Zealand standards, was offered for information in June 2023, but it was never claimed.

The family had gone missing before

December 2021 was not the first time Phillips made national headlines for disappearing with his children.

The family first went missing in September 2021, prompting a three-week land and sea search after Phillips' truck was found abandoned on a remote beach near their home.

Authorities eventually ended the search, believing the family might have died. But Phillips and the children later emerged from the dense forest, claiming they had been camping. He was charged with wasting police resources and was due in court in January 2022. However, weeks before the court date, he and the children disappeared again.

Police did not immediately launch another search at that time because Phillips, known to be skilled in outdoor survival, had told family members he was taking the children on another trip. He never returned.

The search intensified again after several sightings of Phillips in 2023, in the same region where he had previously vanished. He was last seen in August 2025, captured on surveillance footage robbing a grocery store at night, once again accompanied by one of his children.

Children's mother issues statement

The children's mother issued a statement to Radio New Zealand on Monday, saying she was "deeply relieved" that the ordeal for her children had come to an end.

"They have been dearly missed every day for nearly four years, and we are looking forward to welcoming them home with love and care," said the mother, who has been identified by local media only by her first name, Cat.

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