A mother, whose three children vanished with their father three years ago, has spoken out after they were recently seen by hunters in the wilderness.
Teenage pig hunters captured footage of Tom Phillips and his children, Ember, 8, Maverick, 9, and Jayda, 11, on October 3 while they were traversing the bush in New Zealand.
This marked the first time the family had been seen since disappearing from their home in December 2021 following a disagreement with the children’s mother, Cat.
A nationwide search was initiated, with police suspecting the group had been camping and hiding within the North Island’s western Waikato region.
Despite a $48,800 (NZ$80,000) reward for information, authorities have been unable to locate them.
In the recent footage, a man identified as Phillips was seen leading three children through the wilderness.
New Zealand’s 1News reports the teenagers made contact with one of the children and asked if anyone knew they were there, to which the child replied: “Only you.”
Phillips was reportedly carrying a firearm, and the children were masked, carrying backpacks, and dressed in camouflage attire.
Police have deemed the sighting ‘credible’, which Cat described as ‘overwhelming’.
She told the New Zealand Herald: “I just broke down … I can’t see their faces but I can see them walking and they’re all there, and they’re capable of carrying their own bags.”
While the sighting provided some relief, Cat emphasized that her kids ‘shouldn’t have to be worrying about where they’re going to sleep that night or whether they’re going to be warm’.
Following the sighting, police dispatched a military helicopter to locate the family, but the search has yet to yield results.
Nonetheless, Cat expressed her ‘eternal gratitude’ to the teenager who documented Phillips and the children.
“I am so grateful to him, and I cannot express myself enough because so many people see things out there and they don’t have the courage to come forward,” she stated.
The mother believes her children are being used as ‘pawns’ by their father, and after years of being on the run, she hopes for them to live normal lives rather than merely ‘survive’.
“I love them so much,” she said. “We miss them and they’re amazing and they’re so strong and we’re just waiting here for them to come back with open arms.”
Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders of the New Zealand police suspects that Phillips and the children are receiving assistance while in the wild.
“We’re urging anyone who’s doing this to please stop, do the right thing and tell police what you know,” he pleaded.