A woman believed to be the mother of the two young children who died has been arrested in South Korea on murder charges following an inquiry by New Zealand, police in both countries said.
SEOUL – South Korean police on Thursday announced the arrest of a 42-year-old woman accused of murdering two children whose remains were found in suitcases in New Zealand.
A woman believed to be the mother of the two young children who died has been arrested in South Korea on murder charges following an inquiry by New Zealand, police in both countries said.
She will now face extradition proceedings, they added.
“Police detained the suspect at an apartment in Ulsan on Thursday following a search of her location and surveillance footage,” the Seoul National Police Service said in a statement.
“Police in New Zealand have charged a suspect with murdering her two children, aged seven and 10, around 2018 in the Auckland area,” the report said.
“She was found to have arrived in South Korea after the crime and has been in hiding since then,” the report added.
Yonhap News Agency reported that the woman was a New Zealand citizen who was born in South Korea.
“Police plan to hand over the woman to the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office in preparation for an extradition review by the Seoul High Court,” Yonhap said.
The gruesome discovery came after an unsuspecting family bought a trailer load of belongings – including suitcases – at a jumble sale outside Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city.
Detective Inspector Tafilau Faamanuia Vaelua in Auckland said the case was a “very complex investigation”.
“The apprehension of someone overseas in such a short period of time was down to the assistance of the Korean authorities and the coordination of Interpol officers from New Zealand,” the detective said.
