A helicopter has been spotted flying over the Marokopa area this morning. Police continue to their fugitive search for Tom Phillips.
Video / NZ Herald
Police are searching for Tom Phillips and his three children again, who have been missing from Marokopa since December 2021.
An $80,000 reward was previously offered by police for information that would lead to their safe return.
Extra police officers were stationed in areas of interest during two weeks in June but Phillips and his children remain missing.
Police are conducting fresh inquiries in their search for Tom Phillips and his children after a new reported sighting of them near Marokopa.
“Police are conducting inquiries in the wider Marokopa area today after a reported sighting of Tom Phillips and his three children Ember, Maverick, and Jayda Phillips,” Acting Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders said
“A visible police presence will be in the area while this is ongoing.”
The Herald understands a group of young pig hunters believe they sighted Phillips and his children in bushland near Marokopa, reporting it to police on Thursday.
An $80,000 reward was offered for two weeks in June in return for information leading to the safe return of the children.
It expired at midnight on June 25 with no sign of the fugitive father or his kids, but 50 tips that police deemed “worthy of consideration” came from the public.
It was the first time she had spoken publicly since the family disappeared in December 2021.
The video was released the day Jayda, the eldest child, turned 11, with her mum pleading for fugitive dad Tom to “bring my babies home”.
“They are just innocent children, they do not deserve to be treated this way. They do not deserve the life that is being provided to them right now,” she said, adding that what Phillips was doing was “not okay”.
In her video, Cat said: “My babies deserve better. I am just a mother standing here in front of the world begging you here to help me bring my babies home.
“Please, if anybody has any information at all, call the police.”
On the day of the video, acting Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders said police “are committed to getting a result as soon as possible”.
The mother released a letter on social media a day later, which she claims was written by Tom Phillips. It is unclear when the letter itself was written.
The letter stated: “I don’t know what to say or do to help you forgive me”.
It ends saying: “I know I used to make you happy, I know I can make you happy again if you let me. We get on so well most of the time and we are an awesome couple. We have an awesome family and that’s worth fighting for”.
In the week before the mother’s appeal, officers had been conducting police checkpoints around the rural Waikato town. Motorists were stopped by police, with licences being checked and questions asked.
The police Eagle helicopter had scoured the region, and residents were informed there would be an increased police presence in the area.
The response was scaled back after the reward period expired.
Saunders said police would continue to have a dedicated investigation team assessing information and conducting follow-up inquiries.
Police confirmed more than 150 reports of information were made throughout the appeal period, via phone, email or in-person to officers.
“As a result of our inquiries we have identified over 50 reports that we think are worthy of consideration and which are being investigated further,” Saunders said, as the reward period ended.
He confirmed officers were focusing on “several locations of interest in western Waikato”.
“The last sighting that police believe was Tom Phillips was November 2, 2023 from CCTV the attempted burglary at Piopio store,” police said.
Police are looking for Tom Phillips after the wanted man and one of his children were captured on CCTV smashing the window of a business in Piopio. Photo / NZ Police
Security footage from the most recent sighting shows a man, believed to be Phillips, with a younger person breaking into the Piopio store in camouflage attire. The store’s alarm was set off in the early hours of the morning.
A red quad bike was reported stolen from a Marokopa Rd property the day before.
Police said the latest phase of the investigation has been about “appealing to the community - including people that we believe are assisting Tom - and asking them to do the right thing and tell us what you know”.
“Information reported to police during this latest phase will inform further inquiries and help narrow any potential search area.”
