Three kidnapped kids who haven't been seen in three years were finally spotted on camera hiking through the wilderness with their fugitive father in northern New Zealand.
A group of pig hunters allegedly spotted the family Thursday walking across farmland in Marokopa, each carrying backpacks and wearing face masks while the father, Tom Phillips, was seen carrying a gun, as reported by 1News. Police have confirmed the sighting as "credible."
The teenage hunters began filming the encounter, getting pretty close to the family. Police were alerted after one of the teens called his grandfather, who realized who the family might be.
Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders told 1News, "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."
Police began searching the area the following morning with troopers as well as two helicopters, but so far have found "nothing of significance," as reported by RNZ.
A warrant was issued for Phillips' arrest in January 2022 after Phillips and the three kids, Jayda, now 11, Maverick, now 9, and Ember, now 8, were reported missing in September 2021, as reported by The Guardian. Prior to the recent sighting caught on camera, Phillip and one of the children had last been seen breaking into a shop in November 2023.
Cat, the mother of the three missing children, told the New Zealand Herald that it was "overwhelming" but "amazing" to receive the news that her kids had been spotted. She told the outlet, "It's like every day [I'm] grieving ... the loss of three childhoods, the loss of innocence, the loss of my babies, they deserve better."
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