Thread: Bodies of two children found in suitcases bought at auction in New Zealand

WELLINGTON, Aug 19 (Reuters) - New Zealand police are investigating the suspected murder of two children whose remains were found in suitcases bought at an online auction for an unclaimed locker last week.

Police launched a homicide inquiry in Auckland last week after the remains were found by a family going through the contents of a storage locker they had purchased unseen.

The two children were aged between 5 and 10 years and had been dead for some time, police said in a statement on Thursday. The suitcases had been in storage for some time, they added, without providing details.

Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua told reporters the children had yet to be formally identified, but they believed they had family in New Zealand.

It was possible their families were not aware the children were dead, he added.

Police did not give any details on how the children had died or whether there were any suspects.

The family who found the bodies were not connected to the deaths.

Bodies of two children found in suitcases bought at auction in New Zealand | Reuters

'I didn't do it'
When questioned by reporters on her way to Seoul, the woman denied the murder allegations, according to Korea’s Yonhap News Agency

Bodies in suitcases: Woman arrested in South Korea was found 'hiding in apartment' in Ulsan, faces NZ extradition
NZ Herald
15 Sep, 2022 12:25 PM


The 42-year-old woman arrested over the death of two children whose bodies were found in suitcases was discovered "hiding in an apartment" in Korea early today. The woman was arrested in the city of Ulsan, South Korean website Chosun.com reported.

The two children who died were a girl and a boy born in about 2009 and 2012, the website reported. Their genders or date of birth have not been reported until now.

Korean police also later released a statement confirming further details about the arrest.
"Police arrested the suspect at an apartment in Ulsan on Thursday following a stakeout with tips on her whereabouts and CCTV footage," Seoul's National Police Agency said. "The suspect is accused by the New Zealand Police of having murdered two of her children, aged seven and 10 then, in around 2018 in the Auckland area," the statement read. "She's been found to have arrived in South Korea after the crime and has been in hiding ever since."

While being transported to Seoul by police, the woman was asked by journalists about the allegations, the Yanhop News Agency reported.
"I didn't do it," the woman, who covered her head with a jacket, said repeatedly.

After New Zealand Police issued the arrest warrant for the woman, the Seoul High Court granted an extradition arrest warrant for the woman. Korean police plan to hand over the woman to Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and an extradition review will be conducted at Seoul High Court. At this High Court hearing it will be decided if the woman will be extradited back to New Zealand. The arrest warrant was issued by the Korean Courts as a result of a request by NZ Police for an arrest warrant under the extradition treaty between New Zealand and the Republic of Korea (South Korea).

NZ Police have applied to have her extradited back to New Zealand to face the charges and have requested that she remains in custody while awaiting the completion of the extradition process.

"To have someone in custody overseas within such a short period of time has all been down to the assistance of the Korean authorities and the co-ordination by our NZ Police Interpol staff," police said in a statement today. "Police would also like to acknowledge the overwhelming support from the public since the commencement of a very challenging investigation."As the matter is now before the courts, police are not in a position to make any further comment."

On August 26, NZ Police confirmed the remains of the two children had been identified, but due to a suppression order, they could not be named. However, other relatives of the children still living in New Zealand have been identified. The father of the two dead children had died of cancer while living in New Zealand in late 2017.