By 1News Reporters
9:19am

Residents in the wider Marokopa area can expect an increased police presence over the next few days as the search for fugitive father Tom Phillips and his three children continues.


Detective Inspector Andy Saunders said officers would conduct inquiries north of Marokopa and in and around Te Waitere and Te Maika.


"This has not been prompted by any specific sighting - it is simply a continuation of the ongoing investigation," he said.


Last month, police ruled out a possible sighting of Phillips and his children
- Jayda, Maverick and Ember - after a group was spotted sitting in a layby on State Highway 4.


Phillips and the three children vanished in December 2021 after he was
charged with wasting police resources for a previous disappearance in September.


A more than three-year manhunt to find the fugitive family, which included searches of the area and an $80,000 reward, have proved futile.


Phillips lost custody of the children and faces more charges in connection
with an alleged bank robbery.


Phillips and his three children were filmed walking on farmland about 3km
south of Marokopa by young pig hunters in October last year.

Before this, Phillips and his three children hadn't been seen together since December 12, 2021.


Phillips is also accused of an attempted burglary in Piopio and a bank
robbery in Te Kuiti.

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