New Zealand - Tom Phillips, 34, & his 3 children, poss in remote bushland, Marokopa, Dec'21 (prev 11 Sep 2021 *dad charged*)

[threesevenninefour]

This man seems incredibly unstable, to say the very least. The fact he was smashing windows and robbing shops in the presence of one of his kids is very worrying. The only positive is it seems something (desperation?) has driven him out of complete hiding and into civilization—hopefully, that means the authorities will have an easier time tracking and finding him. Really hoping all the kids are safe and at least have their basic needs met…it’s so been long that they’ve been gone.

 

[chimpface]

New Zealand’s two-year search in wilderness for fugitive father and three missing children

Other than a few sightings around the vast Waikato region, mystery surrounds whereabouts of Tom Phillips and welfare of his three children

www.theguardian.com

 

[StillDiggin]

We believe Tom and the children are hiding out in Western Waikato within Marokopa or the surrounding areas,' Acting Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders said.

'Although the environment is challenging for investigators, we continue to devote resources to this operation and follow up on all reported sightings.'

Major update in case of missing father and his three children

A father and his three young children who have been missing for over two years are believed to be hiding out in an area of remote bushland.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Howl]

This man seems incredibly unstable, to say the very least. The fact he was smashing windows and robbing shops in the presence of one of his kids is very worrying.

The kids are being raised by a crazy paranoid guy, deprived of a happy, secure childhood and are missing out on years of schooling, friends and normal socialization. It's very sad.

 

[caradana]

A completely fascinating article in Slate about this case, by Dan Kois, who can write: A Family’s Disappearance Rocked New Zealand. What Came After Has Stunned Everyone.
So worth the read. Do not miss! …

And a short follow-up interview with him, where he voiced an interesting perspective on interest in missing persons. I’m going to quote part below the link, <10%, this is from Sunday Long Read which is run by vastly respected MSM leaders:

For Slate writer Dan Kois, everything is copy — except some stuff

In 2021, a New Zealand father and his three young children went missing. When they casually reappeared 17 days later, after apparently camping in the deep bush but neglecting to tell anyone where t…

sundaylongread.com

“It seems that with this story, it evolved into a whole separate conversation in New Zealand and elsewhere about how we should raise children and how much time we should spend outdoors. Did this story just become a blank canvas for people to add other elements to?

That often happens with missing persons cases. But it happened particularly in this case because everyone at the center of it was so resolutely blank, no one was talking. Phillips has never talked to the press; his family, with a few exceptions early on in the initial search, has barely talked to the press. And New Zealand has some really specific laws surrounding custody cases and family court, which really tied the hands of local reporters as to what they could dig up and report about the family situation. So you have this case that was consuming New Zealand news, but there was nothing to report and that obviously creates this void into which all these ideas flow. They rushed to fill that empty space.”

 

[Howl]

A completely fascinating article in Slate about this case, by Dan Kois, who can write: A Family’s Disappearance Rocked New Zealand. What Came After Has Stunned Everyone.
So worth the read.

Excellent read, and thanks for posting the link.
The article ends with this powerful statement, and I have to agree.
"I once thought perhaps their father was giving them a gift, the adventure of a lifetime. Instead, he stole their childhoods."

I personally consider it criminal (literally, a crime rather than a figure of speech) to rob children of literacy and an education. Those kids are not receiving any type of decent education, if they are being educated at all.

And yes, I agree he's being protected and aided by family/friends who don't care that he's putting his kids in insanely dangerous situations, including and especially armed robbery. Consider this scenario: They are out in the middle of nowhere. Phillips has an accident and either dies or is incapacitated and the kids are unable to self rescue. Hopefully the reality is that the kids are being cared for in someone's home, so that have some stability.

The best outcome right now is that all three kids are still alive.