The first photos of the “grim” and remote campsite used by fugitive Tom Phillips and his three children have been revealed.
Phillips was shot dead by police on Monday morning after firing at an officer during a shootout following a break-in at a store in Piopio on New Zealand’s North Island.
He had spent almost four years on the run with his three children, Jayda, Maverick and Ember, who he had no legal custody of. The siblings, aged eight, seven and five when they went missing, are now 12, 10 and nine.
Authorities have confirmed that his 12-year-old daughter Jayda was with him at the time and provided police with vital information that helped locate her younger siblings, Ember and Maverick, later that afternoon.
Police confirmed Jayda did not attend the rescue herself to keep her safe.
Detective Senior Sergeant Andrew Saunders described the main campsite as “a very grim, dimly lit area, surrounded by dense bush,” hidden in steep and uneven terrain that was difficult to reach.
Photos released by police on Wednesday show a makeshift tent, a gas bottle, and numerous drink containers.
Authorities now believe Phillips had been receiving help while on the run.
“We are currently looking at a number of items at the site,” Detective Saunders said.
“Aside from the burglaries we are now able to link to Tom, it is apparent that he had outside help.”
Commissioner Chambers said firearms were found at a rural campsite where Ember and Maverick were later found.
He added officers were “certainly confident” they would find more campsites.
“What we located the other day is a site that can easily be shifted,” the Commissioner said.
“It’s fairly basic sort of living conditions, and therefore we are likely to find other things in other places, and that might suggest there’s something a bit more substantial in other places.”
The children remain in the care of authorities and have yet to be reunited with their mother, Cat, who has not seen them in almost four years.
“While no one wanted it to end in these circumstances, it is highly satisfying as an investigator that the children have been safely returned,” Detective Saunders said.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell said the focus is on helping the children recover from the trauma they experienced.
“We don’t know what they’ve fully been exposed to, but we know that they’ve been put in a fairly bad position by their father,” Mitchell said.
“We know that one of them has witnessed him trying to kill a police officer and then having been killed himself… I think everyone at the moment is just focused on trying to settle the children and figure out what is the best thing for them in terms of what they’ve been exposed to.”
Phillips first disappeared in September 2021 with his children, sparking a mass search operation when his truck was found on a beach near his home, and officials feared they had been swept to sea.
After 17 days, they reappeared briefly, saying they had been camping, before vanishing again in December 2021.
Phillips was later wanted for an armed bank robbery in 2023, where he allegedly shot at a member of the public as he fled.
Police are continuing to gather evidence from the campsite and are investigating anyone who may have helped Phillips during the four years he was missing.
Images: NZ Police
