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Children Found Safe After Being Held Captive in the Wilderness by Father for 4 Years
Three children were found safe after they were held captive in the New Zealand wilderness by their father, Thomas Phillips, for four years.
Phillips and his children, Jayda, Maverick and Ember, had been living in a remote part of the country’s North Island since December 2021. The children are believed to be 9, 10 and 12 years old. After years of being on the run, authorities began a manhunt to find the family, according to CNN.
The family was eventually found on Monday, September 8, when police responded to a break-in at a farm shop in a rural town. Two people riding on a four-wheeled farm bike were spotted leaving the town on a gravel road. Police began to chase them, while road spikes were set up at a nearby intersection.
Once the officers confronted Phillips, he shot a police officer in the head at close range with a high-powered rifle. Meanwhile, police said that Phillips was shot dead during the confrontation, NBC News reports.
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Phillips was with one of his children at the time, while officers began an urgent search operation with helicopters to find the remaining two children. Police were able to find the remaining two children hours later at a remote campsite in the small rural town of Marokopa, which is located on the west coast of New Zealand’s Waikato region.
“They are with police officers now, and are being removed from that location,” Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers told reporters, according to CNN. “I can confirm that the children are well and uninjured, and they will be taken to a location this evening for medical checks.”
Phillips and his kids first vanished in September 2021, and authorities set out on a major search of land and sea to find them. They were found a few weeks later at a nearby farm that belonged to Phillips’ family and he was charged with wasting police time. They went missing for a second time three months later in December 2021.
While not much is known about their disappearance, police believe they were living off-grid and Phillips used his survival skills to make sure his kids were fed and had shelter. Their disappearance made headlines around the world, and many people grew interested about their whereabouts.
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The children have not had contact with their mother, Cat, since their disappearance in December 2021. Once they were found, she told RNZ that she was “deeply relieved that for our (children) this ordeal has 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,” she continued. “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.”
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