NEW ZEALAND POLICE said they have identified the remains of two children whose bodies were discovered in a suitcase in south Auckland earlier this month. 

The remains of the children were found after a family in New Zealand purchased the suitcases from an online auction of abandoned goods.

The children were between five and 10 years old and had been dead for a number of years, and the suitcases had been kept in storage for at least three or four years, Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua said.

The family had purchased the personal and household items in an online auction and hauled them home last week.

Mr Vaaelua emphasised they had nothing to do with the deaths and had been understandably distressed by their discovery.

In a statement today, New Zealand police said they have identified the the children. 

A police spokesperson said: “Evidence of the children’s identities have been suppressed by the Coroner at the request of their family under an interim non-publication order.

“This order suppresses the names of the children and their relatives, and evidence that may lead to the identification of the two victims.”