Overview

• In their first public comments in years, sister Rozzi read a handwritten letter from mother Julia on television urging Tom Phillips to come back with Jayda, Maverick and Ember.
• The children—now believed to be 12, 10 and 9—have had no contact with their mother since 2021, and she has highlighted Ember’s asthma as a pressing health concern.
• Police say Phillips has been living off-grid in the Waikato bush and has appeared on CCTV buying supplies in disguise, with rare sightings including October 2024 footage near Marokopa.
• Investigators have named him as the suspect in a May 2023 armed bank robbery and allege a separate November 2023 shop break-in, with escapes on a motorbike and a stolen quad bike.
• Authorities report no new breakthrough, remain open to negotiating a safe return, and suspect local assistance may be helping Phillips avoid capture.