Children's bodies found in suitcases inside abandoned NZ storage unit
WARNING - DISTRESSING DETAILS: Human remains found inside suitcases in an abandoned storage unit in New Zealand belong to two children, police have confirmed.
Last week, a family in south Auckland purchased the unwanted items in an auction and brought them home in a trailer.
Police were quickly called to the home in Manurewa after the remains were found among other items.
On Thursday, Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua confirmed the remains belong to two young children.
"Initial post-mortem examinations have been carried out and the results show that the remains found in two suitcases are that of two primary school-aged children," he said.
"Early indications suggest these children may have been deceased for a number of years before being found last week."
The children are yet to be formally identified but police estimate their ages to be between five and 10 years old.
Det Insp Vaaelua said the police investigation is still ongoing and investigators are working to determine the full circumstances of the children's deaths.
"The nature of this discovery provides some complexities to the investigation," he said.
"However, we are continuing to treat this matter very seriously and we are determined to hold the person, or persons, responsible for the deaths of these children to account."
The Manurewa residents are not responsible for the deaths of the children.
It was previously reported that the family had purchased the storage unit at an auction and obviously, were unaware the remains were inside.
The family were "understandably distressed" by the discovery, Det Insp Vaaelua said.
Both the home and the storage facility where the items were held have been examined by police. The suitcases which contained the remains were among other household items found in the storage unit.
Det Insp Vaaelua was limited on what he could say about the party who had been paying for the storage unit, however, he did confirm New Zealand authorities had commenced inquiries with overseas agencies.
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