Search renewed for missing Marokopa family

The police have announced a new operation aimed at locating fugitive Tom Phillips and his three children, who have been evading authorities in the Waikato region since 2021. Detective Inspector Andy Saunders stated that law enforcement will be focusing their search efforts in the broader Marokopa area in the coming days.

Authorities will be conducting investigations in the northern regions of Marokopa, including Te Waitere and Te Maika, without any specific leads prompting this latest phase of the search. The $80,000 police reward offered for information leading to the safe return of the children expired in June 2024, with no new developments in the case.

A recent video captured by hunters in October of last year marked the first confirmed sighting of the missing family in nearly a year. In previous incidents, CCTV footage from November 2023 showed Phillips and a child allegedly involved in a store break-in in Piopio, while a warrant was issued for his arrest in connection with an armed robbery in Te Kūiti in May of the same year.

Reports also indicated sightings of Phillips at Bunnings hardware stores in Te Rapa and Hamilton, where he made purchases using a significant amount of cash. The children’s mother, known as Cat, identified Phillips in the Hamilton Bunnings carpark during one of these incidents.

In August 2023, Phillips was engaged in a car chase on the road to Kāwhia after being recognized driving a stolen vehicle in Pirongia. This event followed the family’s initial disappearance in September 2021, which led to a 17-day search operation in the dense Marokopa bush area. Phillips was later charged with misusing police resources but failed to appear in court in January 2022.

The ongoing search for Tom Phillips and his children continues as police intensify their efforts in the Waikato region.