24 Aug 2022

Pathologist on identifying bodies found in suitcases

From Morning Report, 6:41 am on 24 August 2022

South Korean police say it'll be difficult to pursue a woman who's thought to be a relative of two children whose bodies were found in luggage that had been in an Auckland storage locker.

A family made the grisly discovery earlier this month after buying the contents of the abandoned storage unit in an online auction.

Immigration records show the Korean-born New Zealander arrived in South Korea in 2018, but there has been no record of her departure since, according to Seoul police.

And a forensic pathologist says it could take months to identify the bodies of two children found in luggage in an Auckland storage locker.

Forensic Pathology South Island clinical director Dr Leslie Anderson, who is not directly involved in the case, says it is gut wrenching to investigate the death of children involved in foul play.

She told reporter Amy Williams about coping with a difficult job.