Woman linked to children’s remains found in suitcases

She was in New Zealand for some time.

A woman who is believed to be linked to the two children found in suitcases in New Zealand is reported to be living in South Korea, authorities in Seoul confirm. The woman is believed to be a family member of the two children and is said to originally be from South Korea before moving to New Zealand and going back in 2018, with no record of her leaving the Asian country since then, according to Reuters. Her specific whereabouts and other known relatives in South Korea were not immediately known, police added. "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, also noting that her past address and age could indicate that she is the mother of the children but it is yet to be confirmed. Police in New Zealand launched a homicide inquiry in Auckland last week when the remains of two children were discovered after a family bought second-hand suitcases in a storage locker sale. They had not seen the suitcases prior to the purchase. Police in Auckland have also said that the family who found the bodies were not connected to the deaths and are distraught over the discovery. The children are said to be aged between five and ten and are reported to have been dead for a number of years. “The investigation team is working very hard to hold accountable the person or persons responsible for the deaths of these children,” Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua said. Saying the case was an understandably difficult one for the investigative team, he added that no matter how many of these cases you work on, it never gets any easier.