South Korean Police made the arrest sometime after midnight. Source: Shutterstock.
New Zealand police have confirmed that a woman has been arrested in South Korea over the deaths of two children found in a suitcase.
The 42-year-old woman was arrested by South Korean police over night after a warrant was issued by the Korean Courts after a request by the New Zealand police.
It’s believed that the woman is the mother of the two children who were found dead in a suitcase on August 11 by a family who purchased the luggage from a storage unit auction.
The children were believed to be aged 7 and 10 and had been stored in the suitcase for several years.
NZ Police Detective Inspector Tofilau Fa’amanuia Vaaelua said that the woman will be extradited back to New Zealand.
“To have someone in custody overseas within such a short period of time has all been down to the assistance of the Korean authorities and the coordination by our NZ Police Interpol staff,” he said.
“In the meantime, there is a number of enquiries to be completed both in New Zealand and overseas.”
A woman has been arrested in South Korea charged with two murders in New Zealand, where the bodies of two long-dead children were found last month in abandoned suitcases… pic.twitter.com/24oQXY86Ft
— ANews (@anews) September 15, 2022
When the woman returns to New Zealand, she will face charges but in the mean time will remain in custody throughout the extradition process.
It’s believed she is a New Zealand national of Korean descent and left NZ in 2018 after the father of her children died from cancer.
She could be heard shouting “I did not do it” as she was taken from a police station in the city of Ulsan.
Kiwi police have requested that she be denied bail while awaiting her murder trial and said they will not comment on the matter until after court proceedings so to not influence the case.
Dep Inspector Vaaelua previously said that this case has been hard to deal with.
“No matter how many years you serve and investigate horrific cases like this, it’s never an easy task,” he said. “I myself am a parent of young kids. But we have a job to do.”
