Fugitive dad who vanished with three children spotted on CCTV four years after disappearance

Police have released CCTV footage which they believe shows a fugitive father-of-three and one of his children, almost four years after they disappeared into the New Zealand wilderness.

Tom Phillips vanished with his daughters Jayda and Ember, now aged 12 and nine, and son Maverick, 10, in December 2021. There have been just a handful of confirmed sightings of them in the years since.

But police investigating a burglary on New Zealand's North Island believe footage from the incident shows Phillips and one of his children. The CCTV, captured at around 2am on Wednesday, shows a masked man with a child examining a storefront in the small town of Piopio, before appearing to break in with a power tool.

New Zealand Police said: "We believe the pair in this footage are Tom and one of his children. "They were in the area for 13 minutes, having travelled in and out on a quad bike." The pair left the shop with a number of grocery items, they said.

Police say the store is one Phillips is believed to have targeted, unsuccessfully, in November 2023. Police are appealing for information from anyone who may have seen the quad bike between Piopio and the coastal village of Marokopa.

"At the heart of this are three children who have been away from their home for four years. Their well-being is our main focus," the force said.

Read more:Protesters on why they oppose migrant hotelsChildren killed in US school shooting named Phillips already faces a range of charges, including aggravated robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm and aggravated wounding. Police suspect he was involved in the armed robbery of a bank in May 2023.

A suspect thought to be Phillips was then caught on CCTV stealing a quad bike in November of that year. Last October, officers launched a major search after a "credible sighting" of Phillips and his three children hiking through a bush area, wearing camouflage and carrying large backpacks.

Phillips' family recently appealed for him to return home, with his mother saying in a letter shared publicly: "Tom, I feel really sad that you thought you had to do this, not considering how much we love you and could support you." Police believe his actions could be linked to a custody battle..