Everything we know as father who vanished with kids four years ago is shot dead by police

After nearly four years on the run with his three children, dad Tom Phillips was shot dead in New Zealand following a shootout with police. Here's everything you need to know about the long-running case.

In the early hours of September 8, police received a call of a break in at a farm shop in the small town of Marokopa, on the west coast of New Zealand’s Waikato region, and encountered two suspects, believed to be Phillips and one of his children.

Police gave chase to the suspects, leading to a man, identified by his family as Phillips, being shot dead, and the child taken into custody.

The child is then said to have assisted police in finding their two siblings, who were confirmed to have been discovered later the same day.

The altercation brought an end to a four-year-long search for Phillips and the children, Jayda, 12, Maverick, 10, and Ember, nine.

Jayda, Maverick and Ember have been missing since December 2021 (1News)

When did Tom Phillips and his children disappear?

Phillips first prompted a search for him and his three kids in September 2021, when he disappeared with them for 19 days before reappearing at his parents' farm.

Phillips was charged with wasting police time, but by December 2021 he and the children had vanished again.

The children's mother, Cat, was left for years with no answers as to where her young children were, and issued a plea to the family members saying that she felt 'really sad' that Phillips felt he had to disappear with the kids.

"It hurts every time I see photos of the children and of you and see some of your stuff that is still here," she said amid their disappearance. "Jayda, Maverick, Ember - I love you so much and really miss being part of your lives."

Why did Tom Phillips kidnap his children?

Though Cat mentioned some of Phillips' belongings still being at her home, the father did not have legal custody of his children after he and Cat had separated.

Speaking to the New Zealand Herald for a mini-documentary about the case, Andrew Saunders, who was Acting Detective Inspector at the time, said: "That's effectively why we believe he has taken the children, over custody."

Tom Phillips is believed to have used his survival skills to live in the wilderness (New Zealand Police)

Where were Tom Phillips and the children hiding?

Knowing the father had survival skills, police believed Phillips and his kids had taken off into the vast New Zealand wilderness and were relying on his skills for food and shelter, potentially in the North Island's western Waikato region.

According to The Guardian, those familiar with the New Zealand bush said Phillips and the kids could survive 'almost indefinitely' in the environment, which provides herbs, wild carrots, the pith of native trees and animal meat.

Sightings of the family members were few and far between, but each one made headlines.

In May 2023, Phillips is thought to have left the bush with at least one of his kids to allegedly commit an armed bank robbery in nearby Te Kūiti.

In October 2024, footage of Phillips, Ember, Maverick and Jayda was captured by a group of teenage pig hunters.

Then, in August 2025, CCTV footage showed what appeared to be Phillips and one of his children at a small store in Piopio, in the North Island.

Finally, police were able to track down the remaining two missing children at a remote campsite in the dense bush near Marokopa.

Phillips and one of his children had recently been captured on CCTV (New Zealand Police)

What happened to Tom Phillips on September 8?

The altercation between Phillips and police began in the early hours of Monday morning, when police responding to the break in saw two people riding a quad bike out of the town.

In an effort to stop the suspects, police set up road spikes at an intersection which successfully stopped the quad bike.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers explained: "A short time later, the first attending police officer at that scene has come across that stopped quad bike and been confronted by gunfire at close range."

One officer was forced to take cover after being shot in the head in a 'survivable' injury, before another police officer arrived at the scene and shot the man believed to be Phillips.

Roberts explained that formal identification has yet to taken place, but said authorities 'believe him to be Tom Phillips', while Phillips' sister has also said he's been killed.

Rogers also confirmed the second person on the bike to be one of the missing children.

Once the suspect had been killed, police undertook a huge search involving helicopters and found the remaining two children at the remote campsite.

Rogers said: “They are with police officers now, and are being removed from that location.

“I can confirm that the children are well and uninjured, and they will be taken to a location this evening for medical checks."

What has Cat said about the kids being found?

The mother expressed her relief that she finally knows where her children are, according to RNZ, saying: “First and foremost, we are deeply relieved that for our tamariki (children) this ordeal has come to an end.

"[The children] have been dearly missed every day for nearly four years, and 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."

Cat also expressed compassion for the police officer who had been injured in the shootout.