There has been a significant update in the case involving the bodies of two children found in suitcases bought at auction from a New Zealand storage facility, South Korean police have revealed.

As previously reported, New Zealand police launched a homicide investigation earlier this month after the remains of two children were discovered in suitcases won in a storage facility auction. Just before the discovery of the bodies, neighbors living close to the home where they were found reported smelling a "distinctly foul odor" emanating from the home.

Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua, the Counties Manukau District Crime Manager, was able to confirm in a police press conference last week that a post-mortem examination revealed the remains were sadly those of school-aged children between five and 10.

"The bodies were concealed in two suitcases of similar size … I believe the suitcases have been in storage for a number of years," he said, before adding that the remains had been in the suitcases for around three to four years, BBC News reports.

Vaaelua also revealed that the family who discovered the remains were not linked to the deaths, and that they had requested privacy.

It seems that South Korean police have now been able to confirm that they may have located a woman - who they believe could be the children's mother - currently living in Seoul, per the New Zealand Herald.

"New Zealand police had requested confirmation whether the person who might be related to a crime case was in South Korea," Seoul police stated, via the Guardian. They also added that they had reason to believe the woman could be the children's mother, given her past address and age.

Korean news broadcaster KBS reported that Interpol had requested that South Korean police locate the woman. In that report, it was revealed that there were records of the woman entering South Korea in 2018, but none of her having departed the country since then.

The report was also able to confirm that the woman is a Korean-born New Zealand national, though it is still not yet known whether any relatives were with her upon her arrival in South Korea.

The woman's exact whereabouts are currently unknown.

While previously confirming that they were working with Interpol, the New Zealand police have not yet issued a statement on whether they had been in contact with Seoul police regarding this significant update.

A daily Seoul newspaper, the Hankyoreh, heard from the Foreign Affairs Bureau of the National Police Agency, who revealed that the woman cannot be extradited to New Zealand until she is clearly identified as a suspect in the homicide investigation and an arrest warrant is received. When that happens, the Bureau stated, the National Police Agency will then be able to proceed with the extradition claim process to bring the woman to New Zealand.

Featured image credit: Jamie Pham / Alamy (Stock photo)

A woman thought to be the mother of two children whose remains were found in suitcases at a storage facility has been arrested in connection with their murder.

As previously reported, the bodies were discovered by an Auckland, New Zealand, family after they won a storage container full of items in an auction one month ago.

Among the items they brought home were two suitcases, which were emitting a peculiar odor. The family later made the gruesome discovery of the children's decomposed remains on August 11.

The family - who detectives stated had no connection to the deaths - suffered intense distress after discovering the children's remains and temporarily left Auckland following the incident.

At the time, New Zealand police were unsure of the children's identities when they launched the homicide investigation and were awaiting further DNA analysis so they could go through the arduous process of locating the victims' families and notifying them of the children's deaths.

Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua, the Counties Manukau District Crime Manager, eventually revealed in a press conference that the bodies were those of school-aged children aged between five and ten.

Vaaelua had noted the grisly nature of the case, telling reporters: "As for the investigation team, there are a number of them that are parents. This is no easy investigation and no matter how long or how many years you serve and investigate horrific cases like this it's never an easy task. I myself am a parent of young kids but we have a job to do."

Since then, per a previous report, New Zealand police had been working with international law enforcement agency, Interpol, to identify and locate the woman they claim is the children's mother - who is believed to be a South Korean-born New Zealand national living in the East Asian nation.

The children's identities have also now been confirmed, though have not been released at the request of their families.

Now, Reuters has reported that the children's mother has finally been found in South Korea, and was thought to have fled there in 2018 after the death of her two children, as there is no record of her leaving Korea during the last four years.

Per the report, the 42-year-old woman, who has not yet been named, was arrested in connection with the children's murders after Interpol issued a Red Notice - prompting Korean police to apprehend her.

As she was escorted from a police station in the southeastern city of Ulsan, the woman told reporters: "I did not do it."

In order to have her formally tried for murder in a New Zealand court, the country first must seek her extradition within 45 days - then a South Korean court will review the order before making a decision.

The BBC reported that the children and their mother lived in Auckland for several years, with their father sadly dying of cancer not long before they died. The children's grandparents still live in New Zealand.

Featured image credit: Jamie Pham / Alamy

Police in New Zealand have begun investigations into a gruesome discovery after a shoe and a human body part washed up on a beach this past weekend.

A member of the public found the shoe - which still contained a foot - on the popular Petone Beach in the country's capital city, Wellington, on Saturday (March 25) Metro reported.

No further finds have been reported so far, despite officers conducting patrols in the area over the weekend, with divers and patrol boats spotted continuing the search on Monday (March 27).

However, detective sergeant Steve Williamson told reporters that the local police are not treating it as evidence of a homicide.

Speaking to 7News Australia, Williamson stated: "Police completed a land and water search around the area the shoe was located. Nothing further was located." He then added that his team will be releasing further details following an investigation into the foot.

As of Monday, New Zealand police told the outlet: "The search is continuing today for any items that may be relevant to police inquiries in and around the area the shoe was found."

A local resident told New Zealand press, as reported by Metro: "We bring our kids down here. You’re not sure if you’re going to find the other one."

According to Artspace Gallery owner Alfred Memelink - whose business is close to Petone Beach - the search appeared extensive. Speaking to The New Zealand Herald, Memelink said: "They were going up and down, sort of like they had a good search pattern backwards and forwards along the beach. It looked like they were scanning for something.

He continued: "We usually go for a beach walk every day and for some reason, we didn't this morning. What went through my mind was that it easily could have been us who came across it, and it would have been pretty gruesome."

A local resident also spoke to the outlet about the continued and extensive search, stating: "About six people wearing blue overalls arrived, as well as a dog handler. It is very unsettling for the community. We have got old ladies who live just beside us and we are quite worried now, what's next."

While the discovery is gruesome, it is not the first time a shoe with a human foot in has washed up on a beach.

Per Metro, over 20 human feet have washed up in shoes since 2007 along the coast of the Salish Sea in the United States and Canada.

While such a discovery often leads to fears that the person in question had been murdered, there can be many other explanations for how the person died, such as drownings, accidents, or a person taking their own life.

Experts say that it is likely to do with the way scavenging sea creatures break down bodies in the sea, usually beginning with the parts which are already exposed, meaning the feet can often detach from the leg and float to the surface with the shoe still attached, thanks in part to the buoyancy of the shoe itself.

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A woman has been told to call the police after making a seriously creepy discovery in a hidden crawl space within her home.

The unnamed woman has been sharing details of her home renovation with her followers on TikTok, and initially, everything seemed pretty unremarkable.

The user had shared footage of the time capsule decoration in the home, which is in the UK and was built in 1966, and which appeared not to have been modernised for many decades.

However, her followers were left seriously freaked out after she discovered a secret crawl space while gutting the home - and what was inside it had some urging her to phone the police.

In one video, the woman revealed that in an upstairs spare bedroom, there was a door with another door hidden directly behind it, behind which lay a curtain.

When she pulled the curtain away, she revealed that there was eaves storage under the roof, but added that she'd discovered yet another room hidden further in.

The woman was forced to crawl her way through with a torch to reach it, showing there was a row of bricks with a large space behind it, at the back of which she could see a battered silver suitcase wedged in the corner.

She ended up finding another access hatch hidden in one of the built-in wardrobes in another bedroom giving her a way to get into another part of the eaves storage.

This still didn't get her any closer to the case, however, as all she found within it was another cupboard that had been boarded up and sealed.

When her partner got home, the pair explored the cupboard together, which thankfully opened up to reveal the silver suitcase hidden beneath it.

The couple noticed that the case was a vintage Rimowa - which means they'll probably make a decent bit of money selling it on eBay - and that it was "light, so we didn't think there was a dead body" inside it.

Upon opening it, the couple found yet another Rimowa case stored inside it - but things got even more spooky when their dog came up to investigate and looked pretty on edge when it got near the case.

The inner pocket of the large case contained random detritus from past travels, including a pencil and a sweet, but the inner case held something far more freaky.

The pair opened it up to reveal a perfectly preserved old-fashioned doll, which had been strapped into the case using the luggage straps within it.

The dog was seen looking concerned as it stood near the "very disturbing" doll, and the woman admitted she "didn't know how to feel" about the creepy find.

Her followers definitely did know how to feel about it though, commenting: "1000% gonna have to call the police, seen too many thrillers."

Others added: "No no that doll is in there for a reason" and: "Sell the house.. that was double protected for a reason."

One pointed out: "The dog could feel the energy before they even opened it," while another added: "Na they locked it in there for a reason, we only just got into 2024 pleaseeeee put it back."

Many were concerned at the lengths someone had gone to to hide the doll in such an inaccessible part of the eaves, adding: "Why was it strapped in a case in a case through a door through a door through a boarded up wall?!", while another added: "I've seen this before It's the beginning of a horror movie."

Perhaps not unexpectedly, odd things started happening in the home as the woman added: "Since finding this disturbing doll, we have noticed a few strange things occurring.

"The electrics for instance, directly below where the doll was found, have started to flicker. Also, the thermostat has been making some questionable noises."

She did caveat that the strange occurrences may be just a coincidence as she couldn't find any more information on the doll when she tried to search it online.

However, some pointed out that it was a doll that would be placed over a spare toilet paper roll in the 1970s, so she revealed that it had "found a new home" in the property's old-fashioned pink bathroom for the time being, until the couple decides what they are going to do with it.

Personally, I'd be putting that right back where I found it and putting the house back on the market, but each to their own I guess...

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Federal authorities are investigating a shocking discovery made near Las Vegas after more than 300 piles of cremated human remains were found scattered across the desert.

This unsettling find has raised serious questions about how the ashes ended up in such a remote location and whether a local funeral home or cremation business may be responsible.

Discovery of Human Remains in the Nevada Desert

The investigation began in July when a local man stumbled upon roughly 70 suspicious piles of human ashes along a dirt track near Searchlight, Nevada, about an hour south of Las Vegas, per News4.

What initially seemed like an isolated incident soon escalated when further searches revealed additional piles, eventually totaling 315 separate locations of cremated remains, which were confirmed to be human.

Crews from Palm Mortuaries and Cemeteries were called in to handle the remains, which were described as "cremains" - pulverized bone fragments from cremation.

The remains were found in a desolate stretch of land on Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-managed territory, far from any urban areas.

Searchlight, Nevada, where the remains were discovered. Credit: Kyle Grillot / The Washington Post / Getty

Authorities Investigate Potential Cremation Business Connection

Although Nevada law allows individuals to scatter cremated remains on public land, there are strict regulations surrounding the commercial distribution of ashes, per Fox News.

Under federal law, commercial entities are prohibited from disposing of cremated remains on federal land without permission.

This has led investigators to consider the possibility that a local funeral home or cremation business may have illegally dumped the ashes in the desert.

As of now, authorities have not been able to confirm whether the ashes are connected to any specific mortuary or cremation service.

However, suspicions have been raised that the remains may have come from such a business, given the large number of piles and the location on BLM-managed land.

Palm Mortuaries Takes Action to Recover and Respect the Remains

Palm Mortuaries and Cemeteries volunteered to assist with the recovery of the cremains, ensuring that the remains were treated with dignity.

Celena DiLullo, president of Palm Mortuaries, explained the importance of the effort.

"I think it’s important to us to make sure that these people are not forgotten and not left," she told KLAS news. "It’s important to our community and our profession that we demonstrate how much we care about these people."

By Wednesday, the remains were successfully removed from the desert and transferred to a cemetery crypt for respectful storage.

"I don’t know if it was the wishes of these people to be out there. That’s what goes through my mind, whether this is how they wanted to be remembered," DiLullo said in a statement.

The remains have been removed by a mortuary. Credit: Darren Klimek / Getty Images.

What Is Next for the Investigation?

As the investigation continues, authorities are working to piece together the origins of the ashes and determine whether any local businesses were involved in the illegal disposal.

Investigators are also seeking to identify the individuals behind the unethical act, which could lead to criminal charges for violating BLM regulations.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which oversees public lands in the western United States, is cooperating with local law enforcement agencies to resolve the case.

The agency has yet to confirm whether it will pursue charges against any funeral home or cremation business that may be responsible.

Featured image credit: Darren Klimek / Getty