Waikato, New Zealand — The Tom Phillips saga has taken yet another chilling turn. Police have revealed shocking details about the food sources the fugitive father used to keep his three children alive during their four years in hiding deep within the bush.
And what investigators discovered was far from ordinary.
Foraged, Hunted — and Something Stranger
According to a police briefing based on recovered notes and witness interviews, Phillips did not feed his children the kind of food most families would ever imagine.
Instead, he allegedly relied on:
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Foraged plants and berries from the dense Waikato ranges
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Wild rabbits, possums, and even wild goats hunted with makeshift traps
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Expired canned goods scavenged from abandoned farm sheds and dumped supermarket crates
But the most disturbing revelation is that Phillips may have fed his children raw or half-cooked meat when firewood supplies ran low, leaving health officials horrified.
“It wasn’t ordinary food. It was survival food — whatever he could kill, catch, or scavenge. The children lived on a diet closer to wild animals than school kids,” one investigator told reporters.
The Children’s Condition
Doctors who have seen early reports from the investigation say the children are “extremely resilient” but may have suffered from long-term malnutrition and exposure.
“No vegetables, no milk, no access to clean water — their diet was primitive and dangerous. The fact they survived is astonishing,” a medical expert noted.
The Mother’s Horror
The children’s mother, who has spent four years begging for their return, was reportedly “shaking and speechless” when told what her children had eaten during their time in hiding.
“She thought they might have been hungry, but not this — not living like this,” a family friend shared.
The Question of Help
Investigators are now probing whether Phillips had accomplices who secretly supplied him with food. Several locals have whispered for years about night-time supply runs into the bush, and the notes found suggest at least one unnamed “helper.”
Police are refusing to rule out charges against anyone who may have supported Phillips while he kept the children hidden.
The Public Shock
Social media has erupted in outrage:
“Those poor kids — they ate like feral animals for four years while their mother cried for them. How is this possible in 2025?”
“If he had help, those people should face prison too.”