A fugitive father who had been hiding for years with his three children in the dense New Zealand wilderness is believed to have been shot dead during an armed confrontation with police responding to a break-in, New Zealand police said Monday.

An officer was also wounded in the confrontation after being shot in the head.

“The formal identification has yet to take place but we believe him to be Tom Phillips,” Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers told reporters on Monday.

Thomas Callam Phillips vanished with his children in December 2021, and despite several sightings, appeals for help, and a police search, the family’s location had remained a mystery.

Police believe they were living off-grid, with the father using his survival skills to feed, shelter and clothe his children.

See Full Page