New Zealand, S. Korean police track mother of children found in suitcases

New Zealand police have requested the South Korean police agency’s cooperation in tracking down a woman believed to be the mother of two children whose bodies were found in suitcases.

According to reports, two bodies were found in suitcases bought by a resident of Auckland, New Zealand, on Aug. 11. Local police conducted an autopsy and confirmed that the victims were two children between the age of five and 10, with relatives living in New Zealand and family in Asia. The bodies were placed in two bags and stored in a warehouse for three to four years.

The woman is a Korean New Zealander who was originally a Korean citizen, and later acquired New Zealand nationality. She has lived in the address related to the case for a long time, according to the local police. There was a record of the woman entering Korea in 2018, but no record of her leaving the country.

The Korean police reportedly asked the New Zealand police for documents requesting cooperation, citing the need for legal grounds such as a New Zealand court warrant to identify the woman’s residence.

By Lee Jung-Youn (jy@heraldcorp.com)