A New Zealand family purchased a suitcase at auction from a storage facility, only to discover human remains inside when they brought it home. The Manurewa, South New Zealand, police are now investigating the event as a murder.
Last week, Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua, counties manukau district crime manager, said in a press release that police started investigating the incident, originally reported by BBC News, at the property on August 11.
Several police department employees, including the agency’s Specialist Search Group, worked overnight at the residence, Vaaelua stated in a press statement sent to CBS News by the police department.
The homeowners are not thought to have been engaged in the crime, since they are believed to have found the remains after bringing the previously unowned goods to their home.
The continuing inquiry is being assisted by the residents. During the next several days, there will be a heightened police presence in the region, and a postmortem examination is ongoing to identify the dead and determine the circumstances behind their demise, which is likely to take several days.
Once the identity is determined, the police will contact the next of kin, which “may take some time,” according to Vaaelua.
There is tremendous public interest in the case, but there is no imminent threat to the public, according to the police. They will offer updates in the future.
A police spokeswoman issued a fresh statement on Monday, which CBS News acquired, stating that the agency recognizes “there is significant public interest” but that “there are still a lot of investigations to be conducted before Police can comment more.”
The agency was still expecting the results of the identification.