The mother of a family that went missing nearly three years ago, but was recently spotted again, has shared her feelings about their latest public sighting.
On December 9, 2021, New Zealand resident Tom Phillips, along with his children—eight-year-old Jayda, six-year-old Maverick, and five-year-old Ember—disappeared.
This wasn’t the first time Phillips had gone missing with his children.
Just months earlier, in September 2021, they had vanished for 19 days before returning. At that time, Phillips claimed they had simply been on a camping trip.
As a result of that earlier disappearance, Phillips was charged with wasting police resources and was scheduled to appear in court on January 12.
However, he disappeared with his children once again more than a month before that court date. Phillips briefly returned to his home on February 9, 2022, telling his family that the children were safe but refusing to reveal their whereabouts before leaving again.
In August 2023, Phillips resurfaced, stealing a Toyota Hilux and being spotted in the city of Hamilton, New Zealand.
He was seen shopping while wearing a mask to conceal his identity. A month later, he was charged in connection with an armed bank robbery, in which one of his children was believed to have been his accomplice.
Recently, Phillips and his children were encountered by pig hunters, who filmed the interaction and managed to speak with the family.
The children’s mother, Cat, expressed her relief in an interview with the NZ Herald, saying, “I’m so happy that they’re all there. I’m so relieved to see all three of my babies. They’re all alive.” This marked the first time since their disappearance that all three children had been seen together.
According to Stuff, a New Zealand news outlet, one of the pig hunters, John McOviney, shared that his grandchild was part of the group that interacted with Phillips and his children. McOviney mentioned that Phillips was armed with a gun.
Recalling the encounter, McOviney said his grandchild asked Phillips, “What are you doing here? Who are you? Does anybody else know you’re here?” To this, one of the children reportedly replied, “Only you,” before the family continued walking.
Stuff also reported that it was Jayda, the eldest child, who answered, and there were initial claims that one of the children asked, “Who else knows we’re here?” However, the outlet clarified that this was not the case.
The pig hunters promptly contacted the police, who launched a search for Phillips and his children. Unfortunately, they were unable to locate the family.
