CCTV footage has been released showing two masked individuals who police believe to be Marokopa father Tom Phillips and one of his children.
Police were making inquiries into a report of a break-in at a Piopio business about 2am on Wednesday, August 27.
The vision, captured in Piopio on August 27, shows Phillips and one of his children, police believe. (Source: Other)
Detective Senior Sergeant Andy Saunders said officers were investigating any connection to Phillips, but the store is one he was believed to have targeted, unsuccessfully, in November 2023.
In a bid to encourage the community to report sightings, police have released footage showing two masked individuals, outside the retail premise shortly before it was burgled.
“We believe the pair in this footage are Tom and one of his children. They were in the area for 13 minutes, having travelled in and out on a quad bike. The pair can be seen loading items into containers on the quad bike before returning in the direction they had come from,” he said.
Phillips ‘certainly appears comfortable’ – police
Speaking from Hamilton, Saunders said officers were still analysing the released CCTV and other footage from the area as part of their investigation.
Based on this information, he said police were confident the person in the vision was Tom Phillips and one of his children.
Saunders said he could not speculate on which of Phillip’s children was likely appearing in the video.
“The investigation team is considering what this burglary actually means, and we’re looking at does it mean he’s potentially had a falling out with those helping him, or is he just that brazen and confident that he’s quite happy to come out at night and commit a burglary.”
“Our focus is actually the children, as it always has been. Every time we get new information or something like this happens, we re-evaluate and go ‘well, what does this mean for the investigation?'”
He said Phillips “certainly appears very comfortable to come all the way to Piopio and commit a burglary. He was there probably 13 or 14 minutes, did a bit of reconnaissance around the area before committing the burglary.
“We’ve always considered that Tom is committing offences to help support his lifestyle, other than the ones we’ve obviously shared with you, we get a lot of reported burglaries that may or may not be attributed to him, but it’s likely that he may well have stolen those items,” he said.
Asked whether he posed a risk to his children, Saunders said it was risk police were considering.
He reiterated the message to Phillips: “To Tom and to those people helping him, let’s get those children out safely”.
He said there were psychologists who had provided a profile of Phillips, which formed part of the investigation and “where his headspace is at”.
“But in terms of searching specific areas, we do have concerns around the risk Tom poses, so we’re very careful.”
Police wanted to hear from anyone who may have seen the quad bike travelling or parked between Piopio and Marokopa in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
“In this latest burglary, the offenders have left with a number of general grocery items.”
Phillips already faces a range of charges including aggravated robbery, aggravated wounding, and unlawful possession of a firearm.
“At the heart of this are three children who have been away from their home for four years. Their well-being is our main focus.”
Timeline: Disappearance of Tom Phillips and Marokopa children
Phillips and his three children Jayda, Maverick, and Ember, went missing from Marokopa in December 2021.
Despite multiple police operations, pleas, sightings, and rewards offered to find them, there has been no success. They are currently in their fourth winter in hiding.
Phillips does not have legal custody of the children.
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