On the eve of the anniversary of the second disappearance of Thomas Phillips and his three children, police say they would ‘love’ to be able to let family know before Christmas that the children are safe.
Tom Phillips first went missing with Jayda 9, Maverick, 8 and Ember, 6 last year on the weekend of the 11th and 12th of September 2021 and returned with them on September 30 to his parents’ family home in Marokopa, but disappeared again on December 9.
The maternal family last night announced a reward of $10,000 for information leading to the children's safe return. Police told 1News they had no comment to make on the reward itself "but obviously would follow up on any information provided to us by the family".
In relation to the search, police said in a statement today they are continuing to appeal for sightings of Phillips and his children “as we approach a year since they were reported missing for a second time”.
“We know that for the children’s mother, and Tom’s wider family, this is an extremely stressful time. We would love to be able to let them know the children are safe before Christmas and allow these matters to be resolved,” Waikato West Area Commander Inspector Will Loughrin says.
“Despite a number of land and air searches, and regular discussions with community members who spend time in Marokopa's extensive bush area, we have not located any signs of the family.
“The inquiry team is continually reviewing the case and following up on any leads or nominations from the public.
“Tom has left the family farm under his own volition taking his three young children with him to avoid dynamics he perceives as not good for his children. He has not told anyone of his plans as far as police are aware.”
Police also put out an appeal on TV show Ten 7 Aotearoa in May for the public's help in tracking down the family.
Tom was last seen by family on 9 December 2021. On 12 January, he failed to reappear in the Te Kuiti District Court on a charge of making a false statement.
He and the children were officially reported as missing by family members on 18 December 2021.
In late January, police were made aware his vehicle, a ute, had been left parked on Mangatoa Road near the Mangatoa Track.
On 9 February, Tom returned to a family member's home in the middle of the night to take supplies. He did not appear to have the children with him, police say.
Since that time there have been multiple reports of sightings across the country. All have been followed up without success.
Tom has a warrant for his arrest in relation to failing to appear for his court case in January, however, his disappearance does not amount to any major criminal breaches, only a parenting order.
Police say he appears to be capable of surviving on basic necessities, however given the amount of time he has been gone with the children, it could be possible that he has found a substantial structure to live in and is being supported by other people.
“Anyone supporting Tom should be aware that they too could face judicial ramifications.”
Loughrin says “we are appealing to Tom or anyone assisting him to please bring this matter to a close.
“We have to recognise that Tom and his children lived a very isolated lifestyle and had limited use of social media or mainstream forms of communication. We believe that Tom is being supported by a person or people, and this is allowing him to continue to exist without any electronic trace,” he says.
“For operational reasons we can’t comment on all the enquiries we have underway but we can say a significant amount of work has gone into this investigation, but unfortunately, this has not led us to Tom, Ember, Maverick or Jayda.”
We continue to encourage anyone who thinks they may have seen Tom or the children to contact Police. And as we have previously said, things to look out for are:
• A new family group in your community - specifically a father and three school aged-children
• A man and three school-aged children travelling inter-city on trains, buses or ferries
• Three school-aged children in your community who don't appear to be attending local schools.
• The disappearance of petrol, diesel, food or camping supplies
Loughrin says Tom and the children may look different from the photos which have been circulated by police.
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