A mother's frightening theory after her children were discovered in the New Zealand wilderness three years after they vanished without a trace

The mother of three children who disappeared with their fugitive father three years ago believes her daughter may have cried out for help when they were spotted walking through bushland last week.

Tom Phillips and his three young children, Jayda, 11, Maverick, 9, and Ember, 8, were photographed by local hunters walking through the wilderness last week.

The father and three children have been missing since December 2021 and were believed to have been living off the land since then, staying one step ahead of the authorities.

The 16-year-old hunters who photographed the fleeing clan initially believed the group were poachers and called out to them from about 60 meters away, prompting Jayda to respond.

“I said, 'This is private property,' and she said, 'Yeah… well.' Then I said, 'Does anyone know you're here?' and she said, 'No, just you,'” one recalled the boy told local news agency Stuff.

The children's mother, Cat, now wonders whether her daughter was trying to convey a message to the public.

Cat (pictured) is the mother of missing children Jayda (11), Maverick (9) and Ember (8), who are believed to be living in the country with their fugitive father Tom Phillips

“Is this a cry for help? Is it 'Does anyone know we're here?' 'Is anyone coming for us?' 'We can't hear the tone of her voice, but to me that's what I think,' she told Mata Reports in a long television interview.

“It's like she's trying to say something without actually saying it because her dad is right there and she's worried if she says the wrong thing and phrases it wrong, she's worried about the repercussions later on .”

All four family members wore camouflage clothing and large backpacks.

Phillips walked about ten meters ahead of his children, who trotted behind him in single file.

The sighting was reported to police and it was the first time Cat had seen footage of her children in almost three years.

“It's been really good, they're carrying their own equipment, that's the best news you could hope for,” she said.

The father and children first went missing on September 11, 2021.

They returned to the family farm about 18 days later and said they had spent the time in a tent in dense bushland.

Cat said that her husband and three children had lost significant weight even during this short absence and were therefore likely to have suffered deprivation in the years that followed.

“I can’t imagine what they went through in those three years, it’s just wrong in so many ways,” she said.

Cat believes the police response to her missing children has been inadequate, adding that she expects search teams with sniffer dogs to be sent immediately to where the children were seen.

Cat said every day without her three children is a 'waking nightmare' (they are pictured)

Tom Phillips (pictured) is wanted by police over a suspected armed robbery

The recordings were reported to police on Thursday, but Cat didn't hear from investigators until the next day.

“The system has failed my children miserably from the beginning,” she said.

“They shouldn't have to live like this, they deserve so much more.” “They deserve to have friends, they deserve to go to the park and eat at McDonald's.”

In her attempt to cope with the loss of her children, Cat says she tries to pretend they aren't still missing.

She has two other daughters who are older than her father's three children, but admits she feels “lost.”

“Since they left, I've lost the way.” I'm not me. “They were my world, they were my everything,” she said.

“I feel like I didn't fight hard enough and I didn't make enough noise. 'I feel like it's my fault.'

As Cat reflected on their relationship, she described how extremely controlling her husband was.

She claims he didn't like her going anywhere or doing anything alone and didn't want her to put her children in daycare.

Phillips and his three children were filmed walking in camouflaged clothing on a remote coastal farm near Marokopa on October 3 by two teenage pig hunters

“Supporting Thomas is essentially supporting child abuse, because that’s exactly what it is,” Cat said.

“I just want my babies to be home.” I still have some of their clothes and Christmas presents from the year they disappeared. I don't even know what they look like now.'

Phillips is being questioned over an alleged armed robbery of a bank in Te Kuiti, near Marokopa, in September 2023.

CCTV showed Phillips riding the motorcycle with another person, presumably Jayda.

There have been several “unconfirmed” sightings of Phillips since his disappearance, but police believe the pig hunters' latest footage is the most credible.

In June this year, an $80,000 reward was offered for information that could help locate the three children. However, this lapsed after eight weeks with no results, although officials considered more than 40 sightings to be significant.

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