Police have released new details on the recent sightings of Marokopa fugitive Tom Phillips.
Phillips has been on the run with his three young children Jayda, Maverick, and Ember for 19 months.
On Wednesday August 2, Phillips was sighted at two Bunnings stores in Waikato. In the early afternoon, he was seen at Bunnings South on Kahikatea Drive where he purchased various equipment. Later that afternoon at around 4pm, he was seen at Bunnings in Te Rapa where he made further purchases.
Police said he used a large amount of cash and the items bought suggest that Phillips may have set up a campsite. These items include headlamps, batteries, seedlings, buckets, and gumboots.
"Police are following all available lines of enquiry and are continuing to ask people with new information to come forward," a police spokesperson said.
"Our priority is, and has always been, working to locate Tom and the children to ensure their welfare, and we have continued to follow up on information reported to us where relevant.
"We know Tom has been sighted at retail locations across the Waikato region, but we need people to stay alert and to contact Police immediately if they become suspicious."
People are urged not to take any action if they see Phillips themselves, instead they should call 111 with immediate or current information or 105 for past information that needs to be followed up. Please cite file number 211218/5611.
Police have also set up a dedicated email address for members of the public to report any information they may have: op.curly@police.govt.nz.
