Children Found In Suitcases Bought At Auction Have Been Identified

Two children whose remains were found in suitcases bought at a storage auction have been identified by New Zealand officials.

While New Zealand police have identified the children, their names will not be released at the request of their family, Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua, the district crime manager for Manukau Counties, said in a statement released Friday. Vaaelua said the coroner had issued an interim non-publication order, which suppresses the children’s names as well as those of their relatives.

“Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of the children. Further updates will be provided as the Police investigation allows,” Vaaelua said in the statement.

The bodies were found earlier this month after a family purchased a trailer full of items at a storage auction, including the two suitcases. The BBC reported at the time that the children had likely been dead for years. The outlet added that the children were between 5 and 10 years old when they died.