A woman believed to be a member of the family of two children whose remains were found in two suitcases New Zealand Seoul police in South Korea said.
A police officer told Reuters on Monday that the Korean-born New Zealand woman arrived in South Korea in 2018 and has had no departure history since.
It was not immediately known where she was and whether she had other relatives with her when she arrived in South Korea.
“New Zealand police have requested confirmation whether the person may be linked to a crime case in South Korea,” the police officer said, adding that given her previous address and age, she could be the children’s mother.
NZ Herald has I also mentioned A source indicated that one of the children’s relatives was in South Korea.
KBSSouth Korean national radio reported Monday that Interpol has asked South Korean police to track down the location of a woman.
The report quoted the National Police Agency as confirming that she had entered South Korea and there was no record of her leaving the country.
A police source told the broadcaster that local forces could not attempt to locate the woman unless an arrest warrant was issued.
also on monday, HankyureA daily newspaper quoted a source in the police’s Department of International Affairs as saying that the police could detain the woman if Interpol issued a red notice.
New Zealand police did not confirm whether they had contacted Seoul police and declined to comment further on Monday, but they previously confirmed they were working with Interpol.
New Zealand police launched a murder investigation in Auckland last week after a family found the children’s remains browsing the contents of a storage locker they had bought unseen at an online auction.
Police repeatedly stated that the family who found the bodies had nothing to do with the deaths.
At a media conference on Thursday afternoon, DI Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua said the autopsy indicated the children were of primary school age – between 5 and 10 years old.
“The bodies were hidden in two suitcases of a similar size… I think the suitcases were stored for a number of years,” he said, adding that it was likely three to four years.
Valois said the occupants of the home who discovered the remains were “understandably saddened by the discovery” and demanded privacy.
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