A mother from New Zealand, who had been anxiously waiting for any news about her children and their father, has finally received some information about their whereabouts.

Back on December 9, 2021, Tom Phillips, a resident of New Zealand, disappeared with his three young children: eight-year-old Jayda, six-year-old Maverick, and five-year-old Ember.

This wasn’t the first incident. Earlier, in September that same year, they had gone missing for 19 days before reappearing. At that time, Phillips claimed they had only been camping.

After their September return, Tom was charged with wasting police time, with a court date set for January 12 of the next year. However, over a month before his court appearance, he and his kids disappeared once more. On February 9, 2022, Tom briefly returned home, assuring his family the children were fine, but kept their location secret and soon left again.

In the summer of 2023, Phillips showed up again briefly to steal a Toyota Hilux and was seen in Hamilton, New Zealand, disguising himself with a mask. In a turn of events a month later, he was accused of robbing a bank, with one of his children reportedly assisting him.

Recently, a group of pig hunters in the wilderness encountered Phillips and his children. They filmed their unexpected meeting and managed to have a brief conversation with the family.

The children’s mother, Cat, shared her emotions in an interview with the NZ Herald. She expressed immense relief, saying, “To see all three of my babies, knowing they are alive—it’s a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.” This was the first confirmed sighting of all three children since their disappearance.

John McOviney, one of the pig hunters who met the family, shared with Stuff, a New Zealand news outlet, that his grandchild was also part of the encounter. He noted that Tom was carrying a gun during their meeting.

Recalling the moment, McOviney said his grandchild asked Phillips, “What are you doing here? Who are you? Does anybody else know you’re here?” One of the children, believed to be Jayda, responded, “Only you,” as the family continued on their way.

Although it was initially thought that one of the children asked, “Who else knows we’re here?” this was later clarified as incorrect by Stuff.

Following the sighting, the hunters quickly informed the police, who began a search for Phillips and the children. Unfortunately, the authorities have been unable to find the family since then.