Add Category
A woman believed to be a family member of the two children whose remains were found in suitcases in New Zealand is in South Korea, Seoul police say.
- New Zealand police launched a homicide inquiry in Auckland after the remains were found
- The children were between five and 10 years old, had been dead for a number of years
- The family who found the bodies were not connected to the deaths
The woman, a Korean-born New Zealander, arrived in South Korea in 2018 and had no record of departure since then, a police officer said.
Her whereabouts and whether she had other relatives with her when she arrived in South Korea were not immediately known.
"New Zealand police had requested confirmation whether the person who might be related to a crime case was in South Korea," the police officer said, adding that given her past address and age, she could be the mother of the kids.
New Zealand police launched a homicide inquiry in Auckland this month after the remains of the children were found by a family going through the contents of a storage locker they had purchased unseen.
The New Zealand family, who bought the abandoned goods from a storage unit, discovered the bodies of two children hidden in two of the suitcases.
The children were between five and 10 years old and had been dead for a number of years, and the suitcases had been in storage for at least three or four years, police said.
Earlier, a Detective Inspector, Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua, said the investigation was in its early stages but would be rigorous.
"This includes establishing where, when and how," Inspector Vaaelua told journalists in Auckland.
Inspector Vaaelua emphasised the family had nothing to do with the deaths and had been understandably distressed by their discovery.
Police first set up a crime scene at the Auckland home last week and opened a homicide investigation, but had declined to go into the details of the case until Thursday.
Inspector Vaaelua said identification procedures for the children were ongoing but they have relatives living in New Zealand.
He also said police had contacted Interpol and overseas policing agencies — a possible indication police might believe the suspect or suspects are now living abroad.
"The investigation team is working very hard to hold accountable the person or persons responsible for the deaths of these children," Inspector Vaaelua said.
He said it was a difficult case for the investigative team.
Reuters/AP