October 12th 2024.
The man was dressed in camouflage, with a long beard peeking out from under his mask. His appearance was mostly concealed, but the New Zealand police were able to recognize him from a video that showed three figures walking behind him. The name that came to their minds was none other than fugitive Thomas Callam Phillips, who had been on the run for three years with his children Ember, Maverick, and Jayda. In 2021, during a bitter family split, Phillips disappeared into the rugged wilderness of the country's North Island, evading the authorities.
Initially, Phillips was wanted for skipping a court hearing on charges of wasting police resources. However, as time passed, his list of offenses grew longer and more serious. It was alleged that he had robbed a bank in 2023 with an unknown female accomplice. Despite extensive search efforts by the police, including search teams, helicopters, and planes, they had been unable to locate him.
Last week, there was a sighting of all three children for the first time since 2021. A teenager, who chose to remain anonymous, spotted four figures carrying backpacks on his family's 8,500-acre property in Marokopa while out hunting with a friend. His grandfather, John McOviney, revealed that the boy had captured the figures on his phone, providing evidence of the missing Phillips children's existence. This was the first proof of life that their mother Cat had seen since they disappeared.
The entire country was desperate to know where the family was and why the police were taking so long to find them. According to Lance Burdett, a former detective and lead crisis negotiator for New Zealand Police, it was surprising that they had not been found yet, given the high number of sightings in the same area. Max Baxter, the mayor of Otorohanga district where Marokopa is located, believed that Phillips was receiving help from someone or a group of people. He also mentioned that there were still supporters who believed that Phillips was doing the right thing for himself and his children.
New Zealand's North Island boasts a stunning and untamed landscape, which served as the backdrop for the popular movies "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit." Marokopa, a rural community with a population of less than 100 people, is a place where it's easy to get lost and even easier to hide. According to Baxter, people choose to live in Marokopa because they enjoy the isolation and ruggedness of the west coast, where they can fish and spend time with like-minded individuals. Phillips grew up in this area, and his parents still live in the family home. Last year, his mother released a statement to the media, denying any knowledge of her son's whereabouts and expressing her desire for the family to return home.
This was not the first time that Phillips had disappeared with his children. In 2021, his car was found abandoned on a beach, prompting a massive search operation by the police on land and sea. After three weeks of searching, they suddenly reappeared, with Phillips claiming that they had been camping in the bush. He was charged with wasting police resources, but before his court date, he vanished again with the children. This time, they did not come back, leading many to believe that they had gone into hiding in the wilderness.
When Ember, Maverick, and Jayda vanished, they were just 5, 7, and 8 years old. For over two years, their mother kept a low profile, communicating through written statements released by the police, pleading for help in finding her children. However, in June, Cat decided to make a public appeal through an emotional video posted on Facebook. She introduced herself as Cat and begged for help in bringing her children home. At the time, her eldest child Jayda had turned 11. Cat expressed her worry for her asthmatic daughter and her need for medical care that could not be provided in the wilderness. She also mentioned that she could only imagine how her son Maverick was coping. The police had recently offered a reward of 80,000 New Zealand dollars for any information leading to the location of the children, which resulted in many reported sightings, but no significant breakthroughs.
The man stood before the camera, his face obscured by a mask and a thick, bushy beard. He was dressed in camouflage gear, blending in with the rugged, wilderness landscape of New Zealand's North Island. It was a fitting disguise for a man who had been evading the police for three years.
His name was Thomas Callam Phillips, a father who had disappeared with his three children – Ember, Maverick, and Jayda – during a bitter family split in December 2021. The police had been searching for him since then, but he had managed to evade them. At first, he was wanted for failing to appear in court, but as the years went by, his charges grew more serious, including allegations of bank robbery.
Despite the efforts of search teams, helicopters, and planes, Phillips and his children remained elusive. That is, until a recent sighting that gave hope to their mother, Cat. A teenager, who had been hunting on his family's large property, spotted four figures carrying backpacks – one of them being the elusive Phillips. He filmed them on his phone, providing the first proof of life of the missing children.
The entire country was invested in this case, wondering where the father and his children could be hiding and why it was taking the police so long to find them. Lance Burdett, a former detective, expressed his surprise at the lack of progress, considering the number of sightings in the same area. Even the mayor of the Otorohanga district, where the family was believed to be hiding, suspected that someone was helping them.
The North Island of New Zealand is known for its wild and beautiful landscape, the same one that served as the backdrop for the famous "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" trilogies. Marokopa, the small town where Phillips grew up, was a perfect place to disappear into. Its isolated location and rugged terrain made it easy to get lost and hide.
Phillips' family home was still in Marokopa, and his parents lived there. In a statement to the media, his mother denied any knowledge of her son's whereabouts, and expressed her desire for them to come home. This was not the first time Phillips had disappeared with his children, but this time, they had been missing for over two years.
The children, Ember, Maverick, and Jayda, were only 5, 7, and 8 when they vanished. Their mother, Cat, had been keeping a low profile, releasing statements through the police in hopes of finding her children. But this year, she finally came forward in a heartfelt video, pleading for anyone with information to come forward. She spoke of her children's medical needs and the fact that they had been isolated from society for so long.
The police had offered a reward for any information leading to the children's whereabouts, which sparked numerous sightings and reports, but still no breakthrough. The country held its breath, hoping for the safe return of the three missing children.
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