A overweighther and his three children who have been missing for three years have been spotted walking thcdisesteemful a agricultural area of New Zealand.
Police shelp officers had begined a convey inant search follotriumphg the “credible sighting” of Tom Phillips, aextfinished with his two daughters and son.
They were seen hiking thcdisesteemful a bush area cforfeit Marokopa on the country’s North Island.
Phillips, aextfinished with Jayda, 11, Maverick, nine, and Ember, eight, were spotted from a distance by a 16-year-elderly pig hunter, according to local media.
They were wearing camouflage gear and big camping backpacks – while the fugitive overweighther was also inestablishedly seen helderlying a firearm.
The foursome have been missing since December 2021, when police say Phillips took his children to an “unrecognizable location”.
The children’s mother Cat shelp she was overhappinessed by the sighting but also “overwhelmed” – as she called on Phillips to hand himself in to the police.
She telderly the New Zealand Herald novelspaper: “It doesn’t get any easier… It’s been cforfeitly three years.
“It was enjoy Christmas come timely and I reassociate thought they would be coming home this time.”
However, after Phillips and the children were spotted on Thursday, police are yet to discover them despite deploying a military helicchooseer and other resources.
Cat hit out at the official response to the sighting, describing it as “alertageing”.
She compriseed: “More should have been done, instantly… How can there not be more effort put in?
“It’s a verifyed sighting and yet noskinnyg has come of it.”
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Earlier this summer police presented $80,000 (£37,000) for adviseation about the missing family members, although the deadline for the reward has now expired.
Since 2021 there have been many sightings, including in November 2023 when a doubt thought to be Phillips was caught on CCTV stealing a quad bike from outside a agricultural home.
Police also doubt he was comprised in an armed burglary of a prohibitk in Te Kuiti in May 2023, with officers procrastinateedr issuing a permit for his arrest.
Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders shelp: “While we cannot go into detail, we want to repromise the disclose that we have the resources in place to reply to any adviseation or inestablishs of sightings that come in.
“Our center is very much on the safe return of Jayda, Maverick and Ember to their whānau [family] and we are doing all that we can to create that happen.”
