Detective Senior Sergeant Andrew Saunders has a message for those who may be helping Tom Phillips and his three children in hiding.
After Tom’s sister and mother shared heartfelt pleas on ‘Paddy Gower Has Issues’ on Monday, the conversation has shifted to Police wanting to put a “safe” end to what has now been four years of Tom, Jayda, Ember, and Maverick out in the Marokopa bush.
“The people that are helping Tom, they need to talk to us or they need to reach out to someone that they trust to communicate with us,” Saunders says.
He adds that New Zealand Police want to get the ball rolling with negotiations, reiterating that the opportunity to have those conversations has “always been on the table.”
We want this to end safely. Let’s get everyone out of there safely.
Paddy Gower asked him: “Why is Tom Phillips so hard to catch?”
“It’s the environment out there. It’s incredibly challenging, and given the concerns we have, it’s not just a simple case of sending plenty of people into the bush to search for him,” says Saunders.
Speaking with 1News, Saunders explained: “We have to be very measured in everything we do out there because we don’t want to get into any confrontation.
If Tom knows what we’re doing and wants to come forward, that’s great, but equally, whoever is helping him, come and see us.
It’s believed Tom and the children have been living in the bush, constantly in hiding and moving frequently.
Their disappearance was reported to police in January 2022. In June 2024, an $80,000 reward was offered for information on their whereabouts.
The last confirmed sighting was in October 2024, near Marokopa on the west coast of the North Island.
