A New Zealand family made a gruesome discovery after purchasing two suitcases at an auction in New Zealand: the bodies of two school-age children.
The bodies indicated the children were between ages 5 and 10, Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua said in a video press conference provided to the Washington Examiner.
“Early indications suggest that these children may have been deceased for a number of years before being found last week,” Vaaelua said.
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The cause and location of death remain unclear, he said. The suitcases came from a storage unit auction, he added.
The process to determine the children’s identities is underway, and the next step will be to identify their next of kin, the detective said, adding it was possible the families were unaware the children were dead.
Vaaelua said it was important for people to know that the family who found the bodies were “not connected to their deaths.”
“They are understandably distressed by the discovery, and they have asked for privacy. We are ensuring there is support in place for them,” he said.
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Vaaelua said he was unable to comment on the identity of the storage unit owner and possible involvement of the storage facilities. The detective did confirm that officials are working with international law enforcement organizations, such as Interpol, and that the children have likely been dead for three to four years.
Police from Manurewa, a suburb of South Auckland, said in a statement on Thursday that they were investigating the incident.
