New Zealand — In a shocking twist to one of the country’s most bizarre missing persons cases, leaked handwritten notes have revealed the astonishing details of how fugitive father Tom Phillips kept his three children hidden in the wild for four long years — without school, without medical care, and far from civilisation.
Life in the Bush
According to the documents, recovered from a remote hut believed to have been used by Phillips, the children survived on foraged food, wild game, and occasional supplies allegedly provided by unnamed “helpers.”
The notes describe a strict routine:
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Dawn wake-ups for hunting and gathering
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Makeshift lessons on survival instead of formal education
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No doctors, vaccinations, or contact with hospitals, even when one child reportedly suffered a severe infection
“Four years, no school, no doctor. They grew up in the bush as if the world outside no longer existed,” one investigator admitted after reviewing the materials.
The Mother’s Anguish
The children’s mother, who has been pleading for their safe return since they vanished in 2021, was reportedly “devastated to tears” when police read the notes aloud to her.
“She thought they were being cared for. To learn they lived without education, without medicine — it shattered her completely,” a family friend told reporters.
The Secret Network
Perhaps most shocking are repeated references in Phillips’ writing to “a man who brought food and fuel.” Authorities believe this confirms long-standing suspicions that Phillips was not acting alone.
Detectives are now investigating whether a wider network helped sustain the fugitive family’s life in hiding.
Public Reaction
The revelations have sparked outrage across New Zealand, with social media users branding the case a “national disgrace.”
One commenter wrote:
“How can children vanish for four years in a country like ours, and no one notices? Someone had to be covering for him.”
Another said:
“The mother’s heartbreak is unimaginable. Those kids were robbed of their childhood.”
What Comes Next
Police say the investigation into Tom Phillips’ whereabouts continues, but these newly leaked notes provide the clearest picture yet of how the children lived in isolation.
For their mother, the documents have delivered the most painful truth: while she searched, begged, and prayed for their safety, her children were enduring a hidden life in the jungle — without school, without doctors, without the world.
⚡ Closing line: After four years in the wilderness, the greatest mystery remains: who helped Tom Phillips keep his secret — and why?