Cops Hunt Down Wannabe Bushman Who Kidnapped Children for YEARS

from Coffeehouse Crime · host Coffeehouse Crime

A New Zealand father known as "The Bushman" took his three children into the wilderness in 2021 and evaded capture for nearly four years. Tom Phillips, an experienced survivalist, kept Jayda, Maverick, and Ember hidden in remote bushland while police conducted a massive manhunt involving armed officers and helicopters [citation:1][citation:4]. The case ended tragically in September 2025 when Phillips was killed in a shootout with police after an armed robbery, though his children were found safe and returned to their mother [citation:1][citation:7].

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 18, 2026

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Cops Hunt Down Wannabe Bushman Who Kidnapped Children for YEARS

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