Suspect Believed to Be Mother of Dead Children Found Inside Suitcases in New Zealand Arrested

On August 18 (local time), the New Zealand police announced that they confirmed that the bodies found in two suitcases purchased by a family in Auckland through an online auction were the bodies of two minors. AP Yonhap News

The police caught a woman believed to be the mother of the children found dead inside suitcases in New Zealand.

The National Police Agency announced on September 15 that after international cooperation with Interpol New Zealand, they arrested A, a woman in her forties and a suspect responsible for the dead bodies found in suitcases in New Zealand who had been fleeing from the law, in an apartment in Ulsan. The woman was a Korean-New Zealander who acquired New Zealand citizenship after forfeiting her Korean nationality.

A is suspected of killing her two New Zealander children (seven and ten at the time) in Auckland, New Zealand around 2018. After the crime, A entered South Korea in July 2018 and had been fleeing from the law ever since.

The suitcases with the children’s bodies were discovered on August 11 (local time) when the suitcases were sold in an auction. The bodies are believed to have been in the suitcases for at least 3-4 years. Reportedly, A’s husband died of cancer in late 2017.

The Interpol and International Investigative Assistance Division in the National Policy Agency first received a request for assistance on A’s case in August. Since then, the division had cooperated with Interpol New Zealand to track down A by searching through her immigration records, medical records, and phone number. An Interpol Red Notice was issued for A.

The criminal department in the Ulsan Jungbu Police Station received a tip on A’s location and after checking security camera footage in the area and conducting a stake out, the police arrested A, hiding in an apartment in Ulsan, at around 1 a.m. this day.

The court will conduct an extradition hearing of A, which will determine whether or not A will be handed over to New Zealand.

Kang Ki-taek, director of the Interpol and International Investigative Assistance Division explained, “The latest arrest was possible after relentless efforts to track down A, who committed a crime against humanity, based on close cooperation with Interpol New Zealand,” and said, “We will continue to strengthen international cooperation with domestic and international law enforcement agencies to arrest Korean and foreign criminals fleeing from the law.”