A father who has been on the run with his children for three years may have evaded law enforcement by hiding in a network of caves dotted across the New Zealand wilderness.
Tom Phillips disappeared with Jayda, 11, Maverick, nine, and Ember, eight, near his parents’ property in Marokopa, south of Auckland, in December 2021 following a custody battle with his mother, Cat.
There was great fear for the children’s lives until the afternoon of October 3, when a group of teenage hog hunters filmed them walking across private property, just a few miles from where they disappeared.
They were all dressed in camouflage and carried large backpacks.
When the police arrived at the scene the next morning, it was too late. Phillips and his children had disappeared again into the expanse of rugged hills and overgrown forests that stretched across the Waikato region.
Private investigator Chris Budge told local media that he had joined the search for the family himself, but was surprised by the large number of places they could have hidden, including networks of caves, with which Phillips would be familiar.
Jake Cassar Professional Bush Tracker He told Daily Mail Australia there are a variety of methods and technologies police could use to track the family, but hiding in caves would be an effective way for Phillips to evade technology.
Tom Phillips (pictured), disappeared with Jayda, 11, Maverick, 9, and Ember, 8, from the New Zealand town of Marokopa in December 2021.
Jayda (right, now 11), Maverick (center), 9, and Ember (left), 8, disappeared from the New Zealand town of Marokopa three years ago.
“Finding people is like finding a needle in a haystack,” he said.
“Much of the forest would be impenetrable to drones and motion detectors; from a cave it would be impossible to see them from the air, so it could be very difficult.”
The Waikato region is famous for its caves, many of which are on the tourist route as they contain fireflies.
But only locals know about the natural grottoes scattered through the forest and around the beach cliffs.
Some would only be useful at low tide, but enclaves around the mountains would provide ample shelter in wet climates.
In addition to infrared drones and motion detectors, Cassar said police could use sniffer dogs and professional trackers who know what to look for in missing person cases.
Dogs were initially used to search for the Phillips family, but lost the trail, possibly because it took too long for police to reach the scene.
Cassar said scent trails can disappear quickly if the surface is hard rock or grass.
Australian professional tracker Jake Cassar (pictured) said caves would be an easy way to evade modern search technologies.
Caves and enclaves are scattered around the beaches and forests of the Waikato region (pictured)
Phillips may have searched for weather debris in caves, like the one pictured in the Waikato region, near where he disappeared.
Bushtracker Jake Cassar said drones and motion detectors wouldn’t be able to find the Phillips family because they were hiding in caves, like the one above in the Waikato region.
Like all locals who spoke to Daily Mail Australia, Cassar believes Phillips likely received help from others.
“Sometimes in situations like these, individuals can have ‘hero’ status in the eyes of other people,” he said.
“Before you know it, they’re a bit of a bandit.”
He said it would be very possible to thrive on the land for years, if Phillips knew how to make sure children get their macronutrients from edible weeds and other plants, along with a diet that includes a variety of meats and organs.
Those who live in the area said finding food in the wild would not be difficult because there is an abundance of wild boar, cattle and possums.
However, staying warm in frigid conditions and staying out of sight would be nearly impossible without help.
“It’s rained a lot over the last few weeks and they’ve survived two winters – no matter how good you are at bushcraft, you can’t escape the cold and wet like that with three small children.” one man previously told Daily Mail Australia.
Phillips and her children had not been seen for three years before being spotted on the west coast of New Zealand (pictured) on October 3.
The children’s mother, Catherine, is desperate to see her children again after three years.
“People must be helping him.”
The teenage pig hunter who spotted the family initially thought they were poachers, so they filmed the group as they walked through the hills.
One girl, whose face was covered with a mask, was told the property was private.
She said, ‘Yeah… sure.
Then the teenager asked: ‘Does anyone know you’re here?’
She said, “No, just you.”
An $80,000 reward was offered for information leading to the three children, but it expired after eight weeks with no results.
The official search was suspended after a few days.