Mother's chilling theory after her kids were spotted three years after they vanished without a trace in the New Zealand wilderness
The heartbroken mother of three children who vanished with their fugitive father three years ago is convinced her daughter may have made a cry for help when they were spotted walking through bushland last week.
The heartbroken mother of three children who vanished with their fugitive father three years ago is convinced her daughter may have made a cry for help when they were spotted walking through bushland last week.
Tom Phillips and his three young children, Jayda, 11, Maverick, 9, and Ember, 8, first went missing on September 11, 2021.
Some 18 days later they returned to the family farm in New Zealand with relatives revealing they had spent the time living in a tent in dense bushland.
However, months later they disappeared again, and are believed to have been living off the land since December, 2021.
In a shocking update to the case, Phillips and his three kids were captured walking in camouflage gear on a remote coastal farm near Marokopa, on October 3, by a pair of teenage pig hunters.
The 16-year-olds initially believed the group were poachers and called out to them from roughly 60metres away when Jayda responded.
I said, This is private property, and she was like, Yeah... duh. Then I asked, Does anyone know youre on here and she said, No, just you guys, one of the boys recalled to local news outlet Stuff.
The childrens mother, Cat, is now wondering if her daughter was trying to get a message out to the public.
Cat (pictured) is the mother of missing children, Jayda, 11, Maverick, 9, and Ember, 8, who are believed to be living off the land with their fugitive father Tom Phillips
Is that a cry for help? Is that Does anybody know that were here? Is anyone coming for us? We dont get to hear the tone of her voice but to me, thats what I think, she told Mata Reports in a lengthy televised interview.
Its like shes trying to say something without actually saying something because her father is right there, and shes worried if she says the wrong thing and words it the wrong way, shes worried about later repercussions.
All four family members were wearing camouflage gear and carrying large backpacks.
Phillips walked some 10metres ahead of his children, who trudged in single file behind him.
The sighting was reported to police and was the first time Cat had seen any footage of her children in almost three years.
It was really good, theyre carrying their own gear, its the best news that anybody could hope for, she said.
Cat sad her husband and three children had visibly lost a lot of weight when they returned home three weeks after they first disappeared in September, 2021.
I cant imagine what theyve endured in these three years, its just wrong on so many levels, she said.
Cat believes the police response to her missing children has been inadequate, adding that she expected teams including sniffer dogs to be deployed immediately to where the children had been seen.
Cat said every day without her three children was a waking nightmare (they are pictured)
Tom Phillips (pictured) is wanted by police over an alleged armed robbery
The footage was reported to police on Thursday but Cat didnt hear from detectives until the following day.
The system has failed my children miserably from the get-go, she said.
They shouldnt have to live like this, they deserve so much more. They deserve to have friends, they deserve to go to the park and eat McDonalds.
In her attempt to cope with the loss of her children, Cat says she tries to pretend they arent still missing.
She has two other daughters, who are older than the three kids with their father, but admits she feels lost.
Since theyve been gone, Ive lost my way. Im not me. They were my world, they were my everything, she said.
I feel like I didnt fight hard enough, I didnt make enough noise. I feel like its my fault.
Reflecting on their relationship, Cat described how Phillips was extremely controlling of her.
She claims he didnt like her going anywhere or doing anything on her own, and didnt want her to put their children in childcare.
Phillips and his three kids were filmed walking in camouflaged gear on a remote coastal farm near Marokopa, on October 3, by a pair of teenage pig hunters
Jayda (left), now 11, Maverick (centre), 9, and Ember (right), 8, disappeared from the New Zealand town of Marokopa in December 2021
Supporting Thomas is essentially supporting child abuse because thats what it is, Cat said.
I just want my babies home. I still have some of their clothes and Christmas presents from the year they disappeared. I dont even know what they look like now.
Phillips is wanted for questioning over an alleged armed robbery of a bank in Te Kuiti near Marokopa in September 2023.
CCTV showed Phillips riding a motorbike with another person, believed to be Jayda, on the back.
There have been several unverified sightings of Phillips since he disappeared, but police believe the most recent footage captured by the pig hunters is the most credible.
In June this year an $80,000 reward was offered for information that could locate the three children, however, this expired after eight weeks with no result despite more than 40 sightings deemed significant by officers.
