Two primary school-aged children's bodies were discovered in two suitcases purchased at a home items auction, according to police in New Zealand.
The victims are believed to have been between the ages of five and ten, according to Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua, who stated on Thursday that the bodies discovered in the luggage had likely been in storage for a number of years.
Vaaelua declared that although the inquiry was just beginning, it will be thorough.
“This includes establishing where, when and how,” Vaaelua told journalists in the capital, Auckland.
“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 family who had last week purchased furniture and other belongings from a storage container in an online auction discovered the bodies.
According to Vaaelua, the police have underlined that the family that purchased the luggage was unrelated to the homicide and that they are "understandably distressed by the finding." They have also requested privacy.
The family's Auckland house was the site of a crime scene that police first established last week. They then launched a homicide investigation, but they remained mum about the matter until Thursday.
The victims' personal belongings discovered next to the suitcases are helping to identify them. Forensic specialists have carefully inspected the property where the luggage were taken from as well as the storage facility.
Police in New Zealand are now working with the international criminal agency Interpol in their investigation.
Vaaelua said identification procedures for the children were continuing but that they have relatives living in New Zealand. He said the relatives might not be aware of the children’s deaths.
“The investigation team is working very hard to hold accountable the person or persons responsible for the death of these children,” he said.