Tom Phillips and his three children have been missing since December 2021. Photo: Supplied / NZ Police
A man shot dead by police early on Monday was a fugitive who had not been seen since 2021.
Tom Phillips and his three children - Ember, now aged nine, Maverick, 10, and Jayda, 12 - went missing in December 2021, when they were taken by Phillips to an unknown location - though police believe it was in Western Waikato within Marokopa or the surrounding areas.
Police in June 2024 announced an $80,000 reward for information on the family that led to their location and safe return. That offer has since expired. A police helicopter spent time searching through the Marokopa area as officers work through tip-offs they have received.
In September 2025, Phillips was killed in a shootout with police in Piopio. One of his children, a girl, was at the scene and taken into custody. The other two children remained missing and a desperate search for them began. They were found at a remote campsite in the late afternoon.
Marokopa is west of Te Kūiti. Photo: Google Maps
Here's what's happened so far:
13 September 2021: Police receive a call reporting Tom Phillips and his three children missing for the first time. A search and rescue operation is launched.
14 September 2021: First public police appeal for information on Tom Phillips and the missing children.
24 September 2021: After 12 days of searching, police meet with Phillips family to discuss how the search will be managed going forward. Police say the daily searches will be suspended and will move to a 'reactive' phase.
30 September 2021: Police announce Tom Phillips and his children have all been located safe and well. It appeared they had gone camping.
12 October 2021: Police announce that a 34-year-old man has been charged with causing wasteful deployment of police resources in relation to the search for Tom Phillips and his children.
20 December 2021: Tom Phillips and his three children have again disappeared. Police confirm they are not currently in their family home, but no search is initiated.
12 January 2022: Tom Phillips fails to appear in court to face the charges of causing wasteful deployment of police resources , forcing a warrant for his arrest.
21 March 2022: Police believe Thomas Phillips briefly returned to family home.
21 April 2022: Police express frustration with the lack of information on location of Tom Phillips and his children and say they believe there are people who can provide information on his whereabouts.
26 August 2022: Police say they are still searching for Tom Phillips and his children.
8 December 2022: The family of the Phillips children announce a $10,000 reward for information that leads to their safe return.
3 August 2023: Police receive reports of a sighting of Tom Phillips in a 2003 Toyota Hilux ute. The children are not with him. This is the first confirmed sighting of Phillips since December 2021.
4 August 2023: Police confirm the ute was stolen. RNZ reports that members of the public set up a roadblock at the Kawhia Lookout on State Highway 31 in an attempt to catch Tom Phillips in the ute.
15 August 2023: Police say that purchases made by Tom Phillips suggest he is setting up camp somewhere.
5 September 2023: Police obtain warrant to arrest Tom Phillips after an armed robbery of bank in Te Kūiti in May.
Acting Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders gives a briefing on missing Marokopa man Tom Phillips' arrest warrant on 6 September, 2023. Photo: RNZ / Jordan Dunn
14 November 2023: Footage released by police allegedly shows Phillips, along with a child, trying to smash their way into a store in Piopio.
23 January 2024: Police believe Tom Phillips is still in the King Country, possibly even within Marokopa.
10 February 2024: Media reports look into the suggestion that Tom Phillips could be on or near his family farm.
11 June 2024: Police announced they are offering up to $80,000 for information that leads to the safe return of the Phillips children. The offer, which includes considering immunity against prosecution for anyone assisting Tom Phillips, lasts for two weeks.
19 June 2024: The mother of the Phillips children, Cat, breaks her silence and appealed to the public for help in returning them to her.
In a video provided by police she said: "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 asked anyone with information to contact police.
5 October 2024: Police begin conducting fresh enquiries after a reported sighting by pig hunters of Phillips and his children near Marokopa on Thursday October 3. In a short conversation, the children are reported to have asked "who knows we're here?".
A video captured by hunters north of Awamarino showed a man followed by three children in wet-weather gear carrying camouflaged backpacks. The group could be seen trekking through rough, overgrown terrain before disappearing behind a hill.
9 October 2024: A private investigator who has been out searching the bush says it remains challenging for police to locate Phillips because he knows the terrain well and is being helped by people.
12 October 2024: Cat, the mother of the missing children, speaks to RNZ's Saturday Morning about how she was coping and the abuse and judgement she had experienced.
27 October 2024: Acting Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders says police believes Tom Phillips is staying on the run because he has lost custody of the children. Saunders - who is spearheading the search - also said Phillips's first disappearance was a trial-run in anticipation of what he would do if he lost custody.
9 November 2024: Tom Phillips' parents Neville and Julia Phillips speak out for first time, dispelling rumours they were helping Tom evade authorities but also asking the police to leave Tom alone.
28 December 2024: Data revealed to RNZ through an Official Information Act request showed police had offered more in reward money than they had spent in their search.
18 February 2025: Police report a possible sighting of Tom Phillips and kids on State Highway 4 about 100m south of the Tikitiki Road intersection with Mapara North Road, Waikato. This is quickly confirmed to not be the family.
12 March 2025: Police increase their presence in Marokopa for a few days, searching for Tom Phillips and children. They say it was not prompted by any specific sighting.
18 June 2025: Jayda Phillips celebrated her 12th birthday in what a highly experienced King Country hunter said would be miserable conditions.
29 August 2025: Police release new CCTV they believe shows Phillips and one of his children attempting to break-in to a business in Piopio on 27 August. The owner of the store said the only thing that was taken was milk after a padlock was broken on an outdoor chiller.
8 September 2025: A police officer was hospitalised and a suspected burglar shot dead in the early morning in the small Waikato town of Piopio. A second person was arrested. Reports suggest Phillips ram-raided a store in Piopio before a shootout with police.
His sister later confirmed Phillips was the man killed in the incident.
One of Phillips' children, a girl, was at the scene of the shootout. The other two remained missing and a desperate search for them began.
In the early evening, more than 12 hours after Tom Phillips was killed, police announced they had found his two other children in a remote campsite "well and uninjured".
