A suspected sighting of fugitive father Tom Phillips and his children has today been confirmed by police as a case of mistaken identity.
Police on Sunday responded to a report Phillips and his children – Jayda, Maverick and Ember – had been seen dressed in camouflage sitting in a layby on State Highway 4, south of Te Kuiti, at around 8.30am.
The sighting was around 100m south of the Tikitiki Rd intersection with Aramatai Rd.
Police on Sunday said the group was comprised of an adult, believed to be a man, and three other people, two of which were described as children.
“Following the initial reported sighting on Sunday, police responded to the area conducting several enquiries to locate the group, however they were not located,” Waikato Police said today.
“We have received a number of calls from people in the area, and a person who was part of the group in question, which has since confirmed this sighting was not Tom Phillips or his three children.
“Police would like to thank members of the public who contacted us following the appeal, and the initial caller who reported the sighting.”
Phillips disappeared with the three children in December 2021, after he was charged with wasting police resource for a previous disappearance in September.
Acting Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders said police have “real concerns” about how Phillips might react when he’s found. (Source: Breakfast)
Since then, efforts to find the fugitive family – which included searches of the area and an $80,000 reward – have proved futile.
In October last year, Phillips and his three children were filmed walking on farmland about 3km south of Marokopa by young pig hunters.
Prior to this, Phillips and his three children hadn’t been seen together since December 12, 2021.
