Family of children found in suitcases at Manurewa in New Zealand reportedly living in Asia

The family of two primary school-aged children whose remains were found inside suitcases bought at an online auction are reportedly living in Asia.

The remains were discovered in suitcases bought online by the occupants of a property in the south Auckland suburb of Manurewa, New Zealand.

News of the family’s existence has resulted in New Zealand police working with Interpol as the homicide investigation continues.

In a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua said the children were aged between five and 10 years old.

‘We’ve commenced inquiries with overseas agencies. I cannot state any further than that,’ Detective Vaaelua said, as reported by the New Zealand Herald.

The suitcases were among the items purchased by a NZ family during an online auction of a storage unit at Safe Store Papatoetoe

How the bodies were found 

The family that discovered the bodies initially purchased the contents of a storage locker at Safe Store Papatoetoe through an online auction on August 11.

They loaded the goods onto a trailer and took them home before sorting through the haul in the front yard of their property. 

A neighbour said the trailer had ‘prams, toys and a walker’ among other household items. The family then opened the suitcases, discovered the bodies, and notified authorities.

A director of storage company Safe Store Ltd, who wished to not be identified, said the company was co-operating with police in their investigation.

‘We won’t say anything because it is under police investigation, and we are co-operating with police,’ the director said. 

Confusion and horror at the scene 

In the Loop podcast host Cheree Kinnear described the moment journalists turned up to the scene initially believing it was a domestic violence incident.

‘At least two hearses had pulled up as well,’ she said. ‘We were still unclear as to what had happened. We thought it had something to do with the people living at the house. 

‘The rumour that went around was perhaps there was a domestic issue. We knew there had been a body, maybe it had been a murder.’ The rumour, of course, was wrong. 

Kineear recalled speaking to a neighbour who said they smelled a ‘wicked’ odour coming from next door when the bodies were first found.

Another neighbour said her son had seen the family remove the suitcase from the trailer before standing back in shock at the grim discovery.

What police know about the children

New Zealand Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua said detectives were still working to confirm the identities of the children, who may have been stuffed inside the suitcases for as long as four years. 

However, he did hint that investigators have some clue about their identities, saying they had relatives living in the country.

Inspector Vaaelua said: ‘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. 

Detective inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua said a post mortem report revealed the corpses belonged to two primary-school aged children

A family from Manurewa, in south Auckland bid in an auction on August 11 and won the unit’s contents before making the shocking discovery human remains were inside

‘A lot of us (in the police) are parents and we have a job to do and we’re doing our very best to identify the victims.

‘What I can say is we are making very good progress with DNA inquiries.

‘The investigation team is working very hard to hold accountable the person or persons responsible for the death of these children.’

Horrified family who discovered the body leave the city

Detective Inspector Vaaelua said the family that discovered the bodies in the suitcases were not involved in the deaths of the children in any way.

It is understood they have left Auckland to avoid the media firestorm.

‘We’re still on a fact-finding mission and we still have a lot of unanswered questions,’ Inspector Vaaelua said on Thursday.

Detectives and forensic teams swarmed the house of the family who unwittingly purchased the contents at an auction (pictured)

‘I really feel for the family of these victims, there are relatives out there that aren’t aware that their loved ones are deceased, especially two young children.’

Insp Vaaelua said the investigation had been challenging for police involved given the young age of the victims.

Retired officer Mr Burdett shared his sympathies with the family following the gruesome discovery.

‘When you are confronted with situations such as this one you can never forget it, you can never unsee it,’ he was quoted saying. 

Hannah Grant, who manages storage company Titan Containers, said storage companies could auction off units if the original owners fell into arrears on their payments.

She said some auctions are done in person but prospective buyers don’t really have an opportunity to look through the unit before making a bid.

‘We’re not looking to make a profit off people’s stuff,’ she said. ‘We want the items gone, so we have more space to rent out.’