Father who ran away with his children 3 years ago in New Zealand was captured in an unusual area

Three years after disappearing, a fugitive father and his three children were spotted in a mountainous area of ​​western New Zealand.

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The images of Tom Phillips and the minors aged 11, 9 and 8 were captured by hunters who were in the Marokopa area, west coast of the North Island, on October 3.

In the video, according to the testimonies, The man is seen walking in front of the children, all four dressed in camouflage clothing and each carrying a large backpack. According to local media records, Phillips would be carrying a gun.

Although the children’s mother was relieved to hear from her children for the first time in three yearsalso expressed concern about their condition after the time they have been in complete isolation.

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“I can’t imagine what they’ve endured in these three years. It’s just wrong in so many ways,” the woman told New Zealand reporters.

Since his disappearance, Tom Phillips had been captured on several occasions, although never with the children. The last time was in 2023, when supermarket cameras recorded him stealing various foods.

Although in June of that year authorities offered a reward of 77,000 euros for information to locate him, this expired after eight weeks without results.

Why is he on the run?

The man fled with his children, of whom he does not have legal custody, in September 2021 after a family dispute.

Now the authorities began a new exhaustive search after the sighting. However, no further traces have been found.