Tragic new twist in bizarre case of two children found dead in suitcases at a storage unit as the fate of their loving father is revealed – just a day after the children were finally identified
- Father of two children found dead in suitcases in Auckland died in New Zealand
- Police identified the children, believed to have been aged between five and 10
- Detectives believe the bodies may have been there for up to four years
- South Korean police have been contacted by their New Zealand counterparts
- They said NZ police had questions about a woman who could be their mother
- The woman, a Korean-born New Zealander, arrived in South Korea in 2018
The father of the children found rotting in unclaimed suitcases won at auction died from cancer before his wife left for South Korea, it has been revealed.
The grisly discovery of the boy and girl, thought to be aged between five and 10 when they died four years before being found on August 11 in Auckland, New Zealand created global headlines.
A family who successfully bid for the contents of a storage unit from Safe Store Papatoetoe at auction found the bodies inside two similar-sized suitcases when they were sent to their Clendon Park home.
New Zealand and South Korean police are now cooperating in a homicide investigation over the horror case.
The father of the children found rotting in unclaimed suitcases won at auction died from cancer before his wife left for South Korea it has been revealed
The suitcases were among the items purchased by a NZ family during an online auction of a storage unit at Safe Store Papatoetoe
The family who opened the suitcases are not under suspicion.
Instead police are understood to be focusing on the whereabouts of a woman, believed to be the children’s’ mother, who flew to Seoul in 2018.
Enquiries involving both police forces and Interpol have determined she is missing, but her last known location was in South Korea.
Detectives have now revealed that up to a year before she flew to South Korea, her husband died from cancer, stuff.co.nz reported.
He was the children’s father.
The children are unable to be named due to a suppression order
The grisly discovery of the boy and girl, thought to be aged between five and 10 when they died four years before being found on August 11 in Auckland. The storage facility involved, Safe Store (pictured) is cooperating with police
The couple, whom police have confirmed were both from South Korea, married in New Zealand.
Earlier this week NZ police confirmed they know the identity of the children but could not yet release that information because of a legal suppression order.
They also believe the children were aged between five and 10 years old and understood to have been dead for up to four years.
Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua said the Coroner issued the interim non-publication order at the request of their family, the NZ Herald reported.
Detectives and forensic teams swarmed the house of the family who unwittingly purchased the contents at an auction (pictured)
New Zealand Police have requested information about a woman who arrived in South Korea (pictured) in 2018
‘This order suppresses the names of the children and their relatives and evidence that may lead to the identification of the two victims,’ he said.
‘Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of the children.’
The missing woman, a Korean-born New Zealander, arrived in South Korea in 2018 and there was no record of departure since then, a police officer told Reuters.
Her whereabouts, and whether she had other relatives with her when she arrived in the country, 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 family who found the bodies were not connected to the deaths.
On August 18, Detective Inspector Vaaelua said the children may have been inside the suitcases for between three and four years. Both suitcases were of similar size.
Detective Inspector Vaaelua said police had reasons to believe the children have family in New Zealand that have not yet been identified.
‘The investigation team is working very hard to hold accountable the person or persons responsible for the death of these children,’ Detective Inspector Vaaelua said.
A family from Manurewa, in south Auckland bid in an auction on August 11 and won the unit’s contents before making the shocking discovery human remains were inside
‘We’ve commenced enquiries with overseas agencies. I cannot state any further than that.’
Detective Inspector Vaaelua said CCTV would be analysed but admitted police faced a massive challenge after the length of time the bodies had been in storage.
‘The nature of this discovery provides some complexities to the investigation especially given the time lapsed between the time of death and the time of discovery,’ he said.
A director of storage company Safe Store Ltd, who wished to not be identified, said the company was co-operating with police in their investigation.
‘We won’t say anything because it is under police investigation, and we are co-operating with police,’ the director said.
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