Her Children Were Just Found Safe After 4 Years on the Run with Fugitive Father: Here’s How Mom Reacted

The New Zealand mother whose three children were missing for four years after being kidnapped by their fugitive father is speaking out after the kids were found safe on Monday.

The father, Tom Phillips, was shot dead by police during a shootout on Monday afternoon, while he was with one of his children. The two other kids were found safe by police nearby shortly after their father was shot dead, PEOPLE previously reported.

Afterwards, the mother of young Ember, Maverick and Jayda shared an emotional statement with Radio New Zealand after she reconnected with her children after four years apart.

“First and foremost, we are deeply relieved that for our tamariki this ordeal has come to an end,” the girls’ mother, Cat, told the outlet. “[The children] have been dearly missed every day for nearly four years, and we are looking forward to welcoming them home with love and care.”

The mother continued: “At the same time, we are saddened by how events unfolded today. Our hope has always been that the children could be returned in a peaceful and safe way for everyone involved.”

Cat also expressed gratitude to authorities and shared compassion with one local police officer who was reportedly injured during the shootout with Phillips.

“Your compassion has sustained us,” she said. “As a whānau, we are now attempting to work in cooperation with the relevant government agencies to support the safe return and reconnection of our tamariki. They have endured a long and difficult journey, and we ask for privacy as we help them adjust and reintegrate into a stable and loving environment.”

Philips first went missing with his three children in December 2021 after police said he took off with the kids after getting into an alleged dispute with their mother.

NBC News reported that he had been living off the grid and did not have legal custody of the children. The outlet reported that the father and his three children are believed to have never strayed far from the densely wooded area near their isolated rural New Zealand settlement over the last four years, though authorities still struggled to track them down.

CNN, RNZ, and ABC News Australia reported that Phillips was identified by authorities after receiving a call Monday about a robbery at a farm goods store in Poipoi, in the western Waikato district, which led to the shootout.

Despite rare sightings of Phillips over the last four years, authorities caught him on CCTV security footage just two weeks ago during another break-in at a local business alongside one of his children, police said in a news release.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers spoke at the scene of the shootout Monday and told RNZ that the children had been taken into custody and are now receiving support and that their “welfare remains our top priority.”

“This is an emotional development,” Rogers also told reporters at the scene. “To know the children are safe, and now receiving care after nearly four years, is an absolute relief.”