Suitcase murder accused keeps name secret, remanded in custody

By 1news.co.nz

A 42-year-old woman facing charges over the deaths of her two young children – whose bodies were found in suitcases – has made a brief appearance in court this morning.

She appeared in the Manukau District Court before Judge Andree Wiltens – dressed in a pink jacket and black shirt – and was assisted by a Korean translator.

She was remanded in custody – before her next appearance in the High Court scheduled for next month.

Her name, and that of the two school-aged children, alongside any details that could identify her, have been suppressed.

First NZ court appearance for suitcase murder accused

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The woman, 42, appeared in Manukau District Court today, after arriving on a flight from South Korea on Tuesday. (Source: 1News)

Read More

• Woman arrested in South Korea after bodies of children found in suitcases
• South Korean minister orders extradition of suitcase murder suspect

Police launched a homicide investigation after the remains of the two children were discovered on August 11 in the Auckland suburb of Clendon. The children’s bodies had been stored inside some suitcases that had been kept for some years inside a Safe Store unit in Papatoetoe.

The children, who had been dead for some time, were only discovered after an unsuspecting buyer bought the storage unit in an online auction and began unpacking it in the yard of their home. They have no connection to the case.

South Korean authorities said in September it received a request from New Zealand to arrest the woman – the key suspect in the case. It’s understood she’d left New Zealand for Korea in 2018 – where she’s remained ever since.

The latest statement from the Korean Ministry of Justice describes how the woman, who is thought to be the children’s mother, was arrested in the South Korean city of Ulsan, on September 15, along with unspecified material “evidence” requested by New Zealand officials.

In late October, on the basis that authorities there determined there was probable cause to suspect the 42-year-old had committed an extraditable offence, the Korean Minister of Justice ordered an extradition hearing take place.

Then in mid-November the Seoul High Court granted the extradition, after the woman agreed to it in writing. Days later the Minister of Justice made the final call to surrender the murder-accused within 30 days of November 14.

She was surrendered to NZ authorities on November 28 at Incheon Airport near Seoul – along with the requested evidence. She arrived with a police escort in Auckland the following day and was detained in custody till her court appearance.