A father who has been on the run with his three young children through New Zealand’s remote wilderness for the past four years was shot dead Monday in a shootout with cops during an attempted burglary at a supply store.

Tom Phillips disappeared into the Waikato wilderness with his children, Ember, now 9, Maverick, 10, and Jayda, 12, just before Christmas 2021 after a fight with their mother, who had sole custody. 7

Nobody even knew if the three children were alive until they were spotted by a group of pig hunters in October 2024. At the time, they were seen wearing masks and carrying hefty packs while Phillips guided them through the woods.

Early Monday, police responded to a property in Piopio, part of the sprawling Waikato region where Phillips and the children were previously

See Full Page