DEADLY CONFRONTATION
Rogers said she believed the children were on their own in the bush, and she was concerned about the expected freezing temperatures overnight.
About 50 police officers are searching for the children, including armed officers.
Rogers wouldn’t say if she believed the two children could be armed.
Two police officers with knowledge of the case told AFP under condition of anonymity that authorities had long feared the Phillips case would end in a shootout.
“We were always worried it could end in a deadly confrontation,” one of the officers, who was not authorised to speak to the media, said.
Police believed Phillips had several people helping him evade capture, providing food and accommodation since he fled.
They received sporadic reports as to the health of the children and decided against a full-on search for the family so as not to threaten their safety.
In recent weeks, they believed Phillips’s support network may have crumbled, leading to more brazen burglaries.
“If you went to Marokopa, half the town seemed to support him and half the town thought he was a criminal,” an officer told AFP.
“But more recently, his support seemed to be running thin.”
Since fleeing in 2021, police suspected Phillips of committing several crimes and charged him with aggravated robbery, aggravated wounding and unlawful possession of a firearm.
The mother of the three children, known as Cat, said she was relieved the ordeal had ended.
“They have been dearly missed every day for nearly four years, and we are looking forward to welcoming them home with love and care,” she told national broadcaster RNZ about her children.
“At the same time, we are saddened by how events unfolded today.”
She asked for the family’s privacy to be respected as the children reintegrate into a “stable and loving environment” after “a long and difficult journey”.
