Criminal psychologist reveals main ‘worry’ after missing children are spotted in wilderness three years after vanishing

A psychologist has weighed in on their main worry regarding the three missing children who have been spotted in the New Zealand wilderness with their father.

Tom Phillips - who vanished from the home of his ex, named Cat, along with their children Jayda, eleven, Maverick, nine, and Ember, eight, in 2021 - does not have legal custody of the children.

The group of four were spotted by two 16-year-old hunters in the bushland, approximately an hour away from the famous Waitomo Caves on 2 October.

The hunters captured footage of the family which has now been passed on to law enforcement.

The children's mother, Cat, has spoken out (YouTube/RNZ)

They were previously presumed to be living off the land and managing to stay one step ahead of law enforcement following their disappearance.

Criminal psychologist Dr Tim Watson-Munro has now stepped forward to explain his worries for the children, who have now been missing for three years.

He told the Daily Mail: "I would worry professionally about their psychological wellbeing arising from all of this.

"I mean, it's an abnormal type of life for young kids to lead."

The psychologist continued: "I've been involved in cases over the years where kids have been part of alleged cults.

"The families decide to isolate them from mainstream society they decide to home educate them and so on.

The family were spotted by two local hunters (1News)

"But in at least in those situations, they have a benefit of interacting with other kids, other adolescents, other young children.

"Here you have a situation where you've got three siblings on their own with their dad, there's no opportunity for that sort of socialisation."

One of the hunters recounted the conversation he had with the four when they were spotted.

He explained: "I asked, 'Does anyone know you're on here?' and she said, 'No, just you guys'."

The hunters shared the footage with their grandfather, who informed them they'd stumbled across the missing family.

Following the breakdown of events, Cat has suggested it could be her daughter Jayda's 'cry for help'.

She told Mata Reports: "Is that a cry for help? Is that 'Does anybody know that we're here? Is anyone coming for us?'

Criminal psychologist Dr Tim Watson-Munro (Instagram/@timwatsonmunro)

"We don't get to hear the tone of her voice but to me, that's what I think. It's like she's trying to say something without actually saying something because her father is right there, and she's worried if she says the wrong thing and words it the wrong way, she's worried about later repercussions."

Following the emergence of the footage, Cat told the New Zealand Herald: "I’m so happy that they’re all there. I’m so relieved to see all three of my babies. They’re all alive.”

Cat revealed the details of her unhappiness with law enforcement, who she claims only contacted her the day after the footage was initially reported.

She said: "The system has failed my children miserably from the get-go. They shouldn't have to live like this, they deserve so much more. They deserve to have friends, they deserve to go to the park and eat McDonald's."