Fugitive father Tom Phillips, who evaded capture for almost four years with his three children, may have had even more hidden campsites that remain undiscovered, police suggest.
Phillips was killed in a shootout near the rural town Piopio on September 8 after being intercepted with his daughter following an armed robbery at a farm supply store.
For years, he had avoided police after vanishing from the rural town of Marokopa in December 2021 with his children after a bitter custody battle with their mother.
Last month, new photos emerged of two secret bush hideouts, discovered by police in the rugged terrain on the remote coastal settlement of Marokopa.
Investigators said they believed Phillips relied on these hideouts for years, aided by a small network of supporters who helped him remain one step ahead of authorities.
The photos showed camouflaged structures buried under thick vegetation, with tarpaulins and bush materials blending seamlessly into the landscape.
But, on Wednesday, police indicated Phillips may have had more hideouts than officers had already found in the ‘dense and difficult to navigate’ around Marokopa.
‘While we believe we have found the primary campsites, it is not possible to say with absolute certainty that we have found every site where the family stayed,’ police said.
Detective Superintendent Ross McKay said their investigations had found Phillips and the children had moved between the sites.
Investigators are still working to identify those who may have assisted Phillips during his years on the run.
But police added that they have had ‘helpful information’ from the local community. Anyone who can help police inquiries has been urged to come forward.
Phillips first vanished with his three children in December 2021, just months after an earlier disappearance sparked alarm.
The case gripped New Zealand and triggered a nationwide manhunt and intense public debate over how Phillips managed to conceal himself and his three children.
Police say the terrain was ‘difficult, steep and almost completely obscured by dense bush,’ making searches painstaking and dangerous.
Specialist units, including the Armed Offenders Squad and the New Zealand Defence Force, were deployed during the years-long search.
Despite the tragic ending, police insist their top priority was the safety and wellbeing of the children, who were eventually recovered unharmed.
Phillips was shot dead near the rural town of Piopio on September 8 after being intercepted with his daughter following an armed robbery at a farm supply store.
When officers deployed road spikes, Phillips opened fire at close range, shooting one officer in the head and leaving him critically injured.
Phillips was with his eldest daughter Jayda, 12, at the time of the deadly shootout.
She later guided police to a campsite about 2km away, where her two younger siblings were discovered hiding.
