The parents of Tom Phillips, who vanished with his three children into the New Zealand wilderness in 2021, have made a public apology - their first comments since their fugitive son was shot dead by police a month ago.
We would like to send our sincere apology... for all the trouble, inconvenience, loss of privacy and property caused by Tom, Neville and Julia Phillips wrote in a letter published on Thursday.
We are truly sorry for all that you had to endure.
Mr. Phillips, who disappeared with his children in part due to a custody dispute, evaded capture for nearly four years, despite a nationwide search and multiple sightings.
We in no way supported him or agreed with any of his actions in the past four years, the parents stated in their letter, published in King Country News, a small community newspaper.
Their son was killed in a shoot-out on September 8, in which a police officer was also seriously injured. The officer has since been discharged from hospital, according to local media reports.
One of Mr. Phillips' children was with him during the shoot-out and later helped police locate the two other children the same day.
Before Mr. Phillips and his children vanished, they were living in Marokopa, a small rural town in the Waikato region, surrounded by dense bush and forested terrain.
Mr. Phillips, known as an experienced hunter and bushman, was adept at navigating the difficult terrain.
The vast area in which Phillips kept the children is difficult, steep terrain almost completely obscured from all angles by dense bush, Det. Sup. Ross McKay remarked weeks after the fatal shoot-out.
Throughout the four years, Mr. Phillips and at least one child were spotted at times, including on CCTV while allegedly breaking into stores for supplies.
The incident leading to the police chase occurred in the small town of Piopio, where Mr. Phillips was suspected of attempting to break into a store.
The main goal of the police during the operation was to locate and return the children safely, as Det. Sup. McKay noted, stressing their awareness of Mr. Phillips's possession of firearms and readiness to use them.
Police have stated they cannot provide further details due to ongoing investigations.
Mr. Phillips' family had previously made public appeals for him to return. His sister Rozzi, during a television interview, expressed a willingness to support him during his ordeal, saying, we're ready to help you walk through what you need to walk through. His mother Julia also wrote him a letter, hoping each day for their return.
