New Zealand fugitive father dies after 4-year-long manhunt, 3 children recovered

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A fugitive father who spent nearly four years on the run with his three young children was killed during a police shootout in New Zealand on Monday, bringing an end to one of the country’s most high-profile manhunts .

Tom Phillips vanished into the Waikato wilderness with his children shortly before Christmas in 2021 following a dispute with their mother, who held sole custody, according to local officials.

Police said Phillips was fatally shot during an attempted burglary at a supply store, where he was accompanied by one of his children. Phillips died at the scene, and his children – Ember, now believed to be 9, Maverick, 10, and Jayda, 12 – were safely recovered and are now in care, according to officials.

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