The man walks with a slight stoop shouldering the weight of his large backpack as his three young children diligently march in a single-file line behind him.
Each carrying their own pack and dressed in camouflage gear, the children trek through the rolling bushland on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island without breaking stride, blissfully unaware they are being filmed.
But on the other side of the camera, a group of pig hunters are seemingly aware they are witnessing the first public sighting of fugitive father Tom Phillips with his children, Jayda, 11, Maverick, 9, and Ember, 8, since he took them on the run almost three years ago.
Before the chance encounter with the hunters on a farm near Marokopa on October 3, the family had not been seen together since December 2021. Police have conducted several searches and made repeated appeals to find the family since then, without success.
This week, another large-scale search was carried out over three days after police received reports of the sighting, but the family was not found.
Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders said the sighting was “credible” and inquiries were ongoing.
New Zealand Police offered a reward of up to $80,000 in June for information that led to the children being found.Credit: New Zealand Police
“While nothing further of significance was located, investigators will now assess information gathered to determine any next steps,” he said.
“This is the first time all three of the children have been sighted, which is positive information, and we know it will be reassuring for the children’s wider family.”
Source link : https://www.smh.com.au/world/oceania/they-re-all-alive-fugitive-father-spotted-with-kids-for-first-time-in-three-years-in-new-zealand-20241008-p5kgsm.html
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Publish date : 2024-10-08 15:00:00
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