An investigation is now underway.
A family in New Zealand have discovered the bodies of two children in abandoned suitcases they bought from a storage unit sale, police have said.
The children are said to be aged between five and 10 years old and were noted to have been deceased for a number of years.
The suitcases had also been in storage for at least three or four years, Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua said, according to BreakingNews.ie.
While the investigation is in the early stages, it is said to be rigorous, with Vaaelu telling the media: “This includes establishing where, when and how.”
The suitcases were bought through an online auction and arrived at their home last week, with Vaaelu noting that the family had nothing to do with their deaths and were distressed by the discovery.
A homicide investigation has since been opened in Auckland and identification procedures for the children, with relatives found in New Zealand.
Police have also contacted Interpol and police aboard as they believe the suspect could now be living abroad.
“The investigation team is working very hard to hold accountable the person or persons responsible for the deaths of these children,” 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.
