New leads on missing

Police say they are getting fresh information on the whereabouts of a missing King Country man and his three children.

Thomas Phillips, 34, failed to appear in the Te Kūiti District Court at 11am on January 12 on a single charge of causing wasteful deployment of police personnel and resources.

The charge had been laid in relation to a large-scale search for him and his three children –

Jayda Jin, Maverick and Ember – near the remote settlement of Marokopa, on the North Island’s west coast, in September last year.

A warrant was issued for his arrest but Phillips took his children and apparently disappeared into the bush for a second time.

Efforts to locate Phillips and his children have since proved fruitless.

Late last week, the police issued a fresh appeal to the public for any help with finding the Marokopa family, as they have come to be known.

Stuff inquiries on what results this had yielded were met with a short response.

‘‘As a consequence of this week’s further appeal, we are starting to hear from people who believe they may have information,’’ a police spokesperson said. ‘‘Investigators will assess and review this information as it comes in.’’

Waikato west area commander Inspector Will Loughrin said on Friday there had been little to no sign of the family since they went missing in January, ‘‘in spite of extensive land and air searches, and regular discussions with community members who spend time in Marokopa’s extensive bush area’’.

The police were now considering the possibility the family may be outside the wider Marokopa area and urged anyone across the country to come forward.

People should look out for a father and three school-aged children who were new in the community or travelling inter-city on trains, buses or ferries.

The children, now aged 6, 7, and 9, would not be attending local schools, he said. People should also report petrol, diesel, food or camping supplies that might have disappeared.