Local authorities have been incredibly successful in building on the momentum of their main and secondary market search for Tom Phillips. He went missing with his three children from their homestead in Marokopa, New Zealand, in late December 2021. Revolutionarycommunist.org Recent sightings and CCTV footage have renewed the search for their location almost four years since their disappearance.
Phillips has literally fallen off the face of the earth, worry and fear have washed over his family. Though he does not have legal custody of his children (12, 10, and 9), his family has repeatedly asked him to return. Police say they think that Phillips and the missing children are in the bush of Waikato’s King Country region. They fear that outside forces are providing assistance to allow them to avoid being caught.
In October 2024, subsistence pig hunters provided shocking video footage of Phillips and his children. Instead, they were clad in camouflage and carrying all manner of gear nestled in large adventure-packed backpacks. That the video footage had found them in remote, isolated Marokopa farmland meant they might have been lying low from the cops.
In every shocking crime story twist, more CCTV footage has just appeared. It depicts a naked male figure, later determined to be Phillips himself, carrying one of his children while breaking into and robbing Piopio Superette, New Zealand’s largest small convenience store. The video shows what a Wednesday morning should look like. It depicts the duo spending at least 13 minutes on scene.
Detective Senior Sergeant of Western Australia Police Andy Saunders reaffirmed the circumstances around the incident, saying,
“We believe the pair in this footage are Tom and one of his children.”
The clip shows them using a handheld power tool to carve their entrance to the store. Police believe that this shooting may be the newest act in a disturbing pattern of violence connected to Phillips. They argue that his initial flight with his children should have raised serious concerns.
Detective Saunders shed light on the emotional impact of what was going on, saying,
“At the heart of this are three children who have been away from their home for four years.”
In June 2024, police raised that reward to $80,000 for solid leads on where the family went. Sadly, that reward has too recently gone cold, with no substantial leads having come in. In May 2023, Phillips’ DNA was connected to a robbery at an ANZ bank in Te Kūiti. Two armed men who had stolen money from the registered agent’s house escaped on motorcycles, only complicating his case.
As the search shifts focus across the country, law enforcement is watching every move in hopes of bringing Phillips and his children home safely. They implore whoever knows something to step up and bring this family back together after almost four years of not knowing what happened.