Marokopa fugitives: Mother believes missing daughter made ‘cry for help’ on first sighting in years

The mother of three who disappeared with their fugitive father years ago fears her daughter may have called for help when they were spotted in the New Zealand bush last week.

Tom Phillips and his children – Jayda, 11, Maverick, 9, and Ember, 8 – have been missing since September 2021. They briefly returned home that month before disappearing in December. They have been living off the grid ever since.

Teenage pig hunters spotted the family walking on a remote coastal farm near Marokopa, on the west coast of the North Island, on October 3.

The footage shows Phillips walking in front of the children, all four dressed in camouflage and each carrying large backpacks. Phillips allegedly carried a gun with him.

It was the first time in three years that the children’s mother, Cat, had seen them. She told reporters she was grateful to see them alive, but was extremely worried about their condition after years of isolation from their father.

“I can’t imagine what they went through over those three years, it’s just wrong on so many levels,” Cat told Mata Reports.

The mother interpreted a small detail in the pig hunters’ interaction with her children as a “cry for help.”

One of the hunters remembers calling the group and 11-year-old Jayda responding, “Yeah…duh.” The hunter said only the group knew the family was there.

“Is this a cry for help? It’s “Does anyone know we’re here?” Is anyone coming to get us?’” Cat said.

“It’s like she’s trying to say something without actually saying it because her dad is right there.” And she worries if she says the wrong thing and phrases it the wrong way, she worries about the repercussions later.

The 16-year-old pig hunter who captured the group’s footage allegedly saw Phillips carrying a gun and did not interact further, but called emergency services and spoke to police, the NZ Herald reports.

Cat told the Herald she was “eternally grateful” to the young man for having the “courage” to film the group and “come forward”.

Police descended on the area the night of the sighting, even deploying two helicopters – including a military helicopter equipped with night vision technology – but after three days of searching, they found “nothing else.” ‘important “.

Investigators said the sighting triggered “a positive line of inquiry” and that authorities would determine “next steps.”

Cat said she was frustrated with their response. She said authorities did not contact her until the day after the footage was released.

“The system has failed my children miserably,” she told Mata Reports.

Police have remained tight-lipped about their investigation but sought to assure the public they were “doing everything they can” to return the children to their families.

An arrest warrant was issued for Phillips shortly after he disappeared in late 2021. While on the run, he allegedly committed several crimes, some of which allegedly involved the children.

He is wanted for allegedly robbing a bank in Te Kuiti at gunpoint in May 2023 – CCTV shows him driving a motorbike.

A few months later, police said Phillips was seen in a supermarket in disguise before fighting with a member of the public and allegedly stealing a car.

In November he allegedly drove a quad bike to a rural Waikato property and then broke into a store with one of his children. Footage from the store shows the masked couple smashing the front window and fleeing north after the alarm was raised.

Members of the public have been warned not to approach Phillips if he is spotted as he may be armed.

In June, an $80,000 reward was offered for information leading to the children’s whereabouts, but it expired after eight weeks with no progress.