One of Tom Phillips’ children told police her father had guns at the campsite where the other kids were still hiding after he was killed – and helped them find the location.
Phillips was shot dead by police on Monday in western Waikato, New Zealand, after almost four years on the run with his children.
Phillips vanished from the rural town of Marokopa on the North Island in December 2021 with his three children following a custody dispute with their mother.
Despite an NZ$80,000 reward and multiple search operations, the family had been living in the wilderness ever since.
On Monday morning, Phillips and daughter Jayda, 12, were spotted stealing from a PGG Wrightson farm supply store in Piopio.
A witness called police at about 2.30am, describing them as being in ‘farm clothing’ and wearing headlamps.
Phillips and Jayda took off on their quad bike, but were stopped by police road spikes about 33km away on Te Anga Road at 3.30am.
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A witness called police after spotting Phillips and his daughter Jayda, 12, dressed in ‘farm clothing’ and wearing headlamps
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The pair fled on a quad bike (pictured) but were stopped an hour later by road spikes 33km away on Te Anga Road
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The two missing children of Tom Phillips were found after their fugitive father was killed during a shootout with police
Phillips then confronted a lone officer and shot him in the head with a high-powered rifle.
When backup arrived, police returned fire, killing Phillips.
Jayda was taken into custody.
Phillips’ two other children, Maverick and Ember, were not present when he was shot, sparking an urgent bush search for the pair.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told RNZ that Jayda provided ‘vital information to ensure a safe approach’ to help find the other kids.
She revealed her father had guns at a rural campsite where Maverick, 10, and Ember, 9, were later found.
‘We knew that there were firearms,’ he said.
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Jayda Phillips watched on as her father was shot and killed by police
Commissioner Chambers said Phillips and his children frequently moved between different campsites.
‘We know Mr Phillips has been moving around this very vast region frequently, so he hasn’t stayed in one location for the entire time,’ Commissioner Chambers said.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell also said Phillips had ‘multiple high-powered firearms’ and was ‘very unstable in his thinking’.
‘I think the whole country has seen play out in the last 24 hours just how dangerous the situation was and how it could have ended an even worse tragedy, and that would have been the loss one, two or three young lives,’ Mitchell said.
Commissioner Chambers said the officer shot by Phillips spent ‘a good chunk’ of Monday in surgery with serious injuries to his head and shoulder.
‘It was very, very close for him,’ Commissioner Chambers said.
The children’s mother Cat broke her silence in a statement, saying she was relieved the ordeal 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,’ she said.
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The children Ember, Maverick and Jayda (pictured)
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Members of the media stand on the side of a road where a police shootout occurred near the town of Piopio, in New Zealand’s Waikato region
‘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.’
Images of the campsite show quad bikes with blankets draped over them, parked among the trees.
Two cans of Sprite were pictured on one of the tyres while a large container was on the ground.
‘Our investigation will help determine what other modes of transport he may have used or others may have helped with,’ New Zealand Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said on Tuesday.
‘No one who does this to children, no one who unleashes high-powered rifles on my staff is a hero. Simple as that.’
Police will give the three children time to settle but conceded there would come a time when they would need to be interviewed.
Police would not comment on whether the children had seen their mother.
‘They are settled, they are comfortable. They are together.’
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New photos have emerged of the remote campsite where police discovered Tom Phillips’ children hours after the New Zealand fugitive was shot dead by police
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The camp was nestled in the native New Zealand bush
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The three children are pictured
Officers are investigating how Phillips was able to access weapons.
‘We are interested in how Mr Phillips was able to access multiple firearms,’ Mr Chambers 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.’
Mr Mitchell said Phillips’ children have been exposed to things that ‘children in this country should not be’.
‘The children are now looked after. 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 because they have seen and been exposed to things that children in our country should not be,’ he said.
