Human remains found in old suitcases at an abandoned storage container sold at auction in New Zealand are believed to belong to two young children.

The remains were discovered by an Auckland family after they brought the contents of the container home to find out what was in it.

They immediately notified police after making the grim discovery last Thursday.

"Extremely upsetting"

In a statement this morning, police said they had “extremely upsetting news for the community.”

Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua said: “Initial post-mortem examinations have been carried out and the results show that the remains found in two suitcases are that of two primary school-aged children.”

“Early indications suggest these children may have been deceased for a number of years before being found last week,” he said.

Children

The children are believed to be between five and ten-years-old. Their bodies were hidden in two suitcases of similar size.

Mr Vaaelua said police are still working to identify the remains and will contact the children’s next of kin as soon as they know more.

He said the nature of the discovery makes the case especially complex, but he moved to reassure the community that police would ascertain the full circumstances around the deaths, including the “when, where, and how”.

He again confirmed that the people who found the bodies are not connected to the deaths and are “understandably distressed” by their discovery.