August 31, 2022

2 Min Read
Police Identify Human Remains Discovered at Auckland, New Zealand, Self-Storage Facility

Update 8/31/22 – New information has been released about the human remains found at an Auckland, New Zealand, self-storage facility. Investigators have identified the children, believed to be between the ages of five and 10, but haven’t released their names due to a legal suppression order. They’ve also determined the children had been dead for up to four years, according to a source.

In addition, more information about the children’s parents have been released. Police have determined their father died of cancer in 2017. A South Korean-born woman police believe to be their mother flew to Seoul, South Korea, a year after his death. Investigators have been unable to locate her and have yet to determine if she was alone when she returned to the country. The couple married in New Zealand, and investigators believe the children could have family there.

Although police are reviewing security footage taken from the storage facility, the time lapse has created challenges to determining what happened and who was involved, said Vaaelua. “The investigation team is working very hard to hold accountable the person or persons responsible for the death of these children.”

8/19/22 – The remains found inside a unit after a lien sale at Safe Store have been identified as two young children of elementary school age. The bodies were inside suitcases.

“Early indications suggest these children may have been deceased for a number of years before being found last week,” detective inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua told the source. “Formal identification procedures are still ongoing, which means police are not yet able to comment on the identities of the children.”

Investigators are also trying to determine how the bodies ended up in the storage unit.

8/17/22 – Human remains were found last week after a unit auction at an Auckland, New Zealand, self-storage facility. Police have launched a murder investigation following the Aug. 11 discovery at Safe Store in Papatoetoe, according to the source.

Investigators haven’t commented about the case or confirmed if more than one body was found. The remains were sold along with other contents as part of a “job lot” from 316 Puhinui Road. The auction buyer picked up their winnings in a trailer and didn’t go through them until at home. The remains were discovered in a suitcase, which a neighbor witnessed.

After finding the remains, the buyer immediately returned to the self-storage facility and police were called. Investigators don’t believe this person is involved in the crime, the source reported.

Safe Storage operates three facilities in three Auckland suburbs: Pakuranga, Papatoetoe and Westgate.

Sources:
Stuff, Human Remains Came From Safe Store Papatoetoe After Storage Unit Auction
News 8, Remains of 2 Children Found Inside Suitcases Bought From Storage Facility Auction in New Zealand
Daily Mail, Tragic New Twist in Bizarre Case of Two Children Found Dead in Suitcases at a Storage Unit

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