- A 42-year-old woman has been detained.
- Toddlers remains were discovered in bags.
- The bag was purchased from a storage facility in New Zealand.
In connection with their alleged murders, a 42-year-old woman who is thought to be the mother of the two children whose remains were discovered in bags purchased from a storage facility in New Zealand has been detained.
According to a South Korean police official speaking to CNN, the woman, who has not been named, was taken into custody in Ulsan in the early hours of Thursday local time.
The woman who was arrested is the same woman who, according to earlier police reports, was thought to be the children’s mother and who arrived in South Korea several years ago and hasn’t left the country since, the police official revealed.
The police requested an arrest warrant for the woman, and they had applied to extradite her to New Zealand to further face charges.
In a statement released on Thursday, New Zealand Detective Inspector Tofilau Fa’amanuia Vaaelua said, “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 (New Zealand) Police Interpol staff.”
According to Vaaelua, the woman would remain in detention until the extradition procedure is over. To prevent accidentally identifying the kids, the woman’s identity is being kept a secret.
Last month, South Korean authorities verified that the woman was born there and “long ago” received New Zealand citizenship.
The woman’s extradition to New Zealand will now be decided by Seoul High Court within the next two months.
After a family in South Auckland reported discovering human remains in bags they purchased in an online auction from a storage facility, New Zealand police opened a homicide inquiry last month.
According to New Zealand police, the kids, who were most likely between the ages of 5 and 10, may have been dead for three to four years.
The family who purchased the luggage was not the subject of an investigation, the police emphasized at the time.
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