Deaths of Yuna and Minu Jo
In August 2022 the bodies of two children were found in suitcases in Auckland, New Zealand. The suitcases were bought from the sale of a storage unit where the bodies are suspected to have been stored for multiple years. The mother of the children has been arrested and awaits trial in 2024.
Victims
The children were a girl and a boy born in 2009 and 2012.[1][2] New Zealand police have said the children may have been dead for up to four years.[3]
Discovery and investigation
On August 11, 2022, human remains were found in two suitcases in Moncrieff Ave, Clendon Park.[4] The suitcases were bought by a family as part of a storage unit auction from Safe Store Papatoetoe.[5] The family brought the suitcases home along with other household objects.[2] Police believe the family who bought the suitcases were not related to the murder.[5]
The victims were the children of Korean-born parents. The children's father died of cancer in New Zealand in late 2017, before the children's disappearance. The children's mother, a Korean-born New Zealander, arrived in South Korea in 2018 and has not left that country since.[6]
Arrest and extradition
On 15 September the arrest of the children's mother in Ulsan, South Korea was announced. New Zealand authorities commenced extradition proceedings through the South Korean court system. The woman was arrested by Korean police on suspicion of "crimes against humanity", and will face two murder charges in New Zealand.[7][8]
In November 2022, the South Korean Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon approved the suspect's extradition. Earlier, the Seoul High Court had approved the woman's extradition after she had granted written consent. On 29 November, the children's mother was extradited by South Korean authorities, who also submitted "significant pieces of evidence" to their New Zealand counterparts.
Pre-trial procedures
On 30 November, the suspect appeared at the Manukau District Court in South Auckland where she entered no plea. She was remanded into custody and the identities of the suspect, her children, and an unidentified relative were suppressed.[9][10] On 14 December she pleaded not guilty and was remanded in custody.[11] On 3 May 2023 during an administrative hearing she said "I'm going to prove my innocence".[12] On 8 May her lawyers argued for continued name suppression in the Court of Appeals.[13]
Trial
Trial date is set for 4 weeks starting on April 29, 2024.[11]
References
- ^ "Bodies in suitcases: Woman found 'hiding in apartment' in Korea, kids' details revealed". NZ Herald. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
- ^ a b "Two dead children were in Auckland storage unit 'for a number of years'". Stuff. 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ "Bodies of two children found in suitcase identified - police". 1 News. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
- ^ Anderson, Ryan; Sommerville, Troels (11 August 2022). "Large police presence, road blocked off due to incident in Auckland's Clendon Park". Stuff. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ a b Halpin, James (16 August 2022). "Human remains came from Safe Store Papatoetoe after storage unit auction". Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ Choi, Soo-Hyang (22 August 2022). "Relative of New Zealand children found dead in suitcases believed to be in South Korea". Reuters. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
- ^ "Extradition of South Korean woman underway over children's bodies found in suitcases". Radio New Zealand. 15 September 2022. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
- ^ Halpin, James (15 September 2022). "South Korean police tracked suitcase murders suspect through medical records, phone". Stuff. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
- ^ McClure, Tess (30 November 2022). "New Zealand 'suitcase murders': suspect is mother of child victims, court hears". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
- ^ Dillane, Tom; Kapitan, Craig (30 November 2022). "Suitcase murder case: Suspect, mother of children, remanded in custody without plea". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
- ^ a b "Not guilty pleas entered for woman accused of killing children, leaving bodies in suitcases". NZ Herald. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ "Mother accused of suitcase murders appears in court, vows to prove innocence". RNZ. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ "Woman accused in suitcase murders fights to keep name suppression". NZ Herald. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
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