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4w ago

Family of Fugitive New Zealand Father Pleads for His Return After Four Years on the Run

Relatives issued a televised appeal in hopes their message reaches him in the Waikato bush.

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Jayda, Maverick and Ember have been missing with their father in the New Zealand wilderness since December 2021.
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Overview

  • Sister Rozzi Phillips read their mother Julia's handwritten note on a Stuff TV program, urging Tom to bring Jayda, Maverick and Ember home.
  • Police say Phillips and the children are likely living off‑grid in rural Waikato, and they maintain an NZ$80,000 reward for information leading to their safe return.
  • Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders signaled openness to negotiations and said immunity may be considered for anyone who helps locate the children.
  • Authorities cite a confirmed October 2024 video of an adult and three children on farmland near Marokopa and a reported February sighting near State Highway 4, with no recovery.
  • Phillips is wanted on multiple alleged offenses, including a May 2023 armed bank robbery and a November 2023 shop break‑in, after he lost custody of the children to the state.