THE dad of two dead children found inside cases bought at a Storage Wars-style auction died of cancer, it was reported.
The decomposing corpses of the boy and the girl were were found in suitcases in New Zealand by an unwitting family and a women believed to be their mother has been traced to South Korea.
The Korean-born New Zealander arrived in South Korea in 2018 and has not left the Asian country since then.
But police have now revealed her husband died of cancer in 2017, Stuff.co.nz reports.
The couple are both from Seoul, South Korea but married in New Zealand.
The two children who were found in the cases are a girl born in 2009 and a boy born in 2012.
It comes after Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua revealed they have now been identified but said their names are being withheld by a Coroner at the request of their family.
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They also have other relatives living in New Zealand, he said.
Police were continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the children's deaths, he said.
The mystery woman is being sought by South Korean police in connection with the discovery.
They are now trying to track down her whereabouts and are figuring out whether she had other relatives with her when she arrived in South Korea.
They added that given the woman's past address and age, she could be the kids' mother.
The remains of the two young children were discovered by a family sifting through the contents of an abandoned storage unit in New Zealand after they won it in an auction.
Cops arrived at their house in Auckland last Thursday after being called in by the shaken buyers, as neighbours reported a hideous smell coming from the home.
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A murder investigation was launched on August 12, and cops now found family of the two primary school-aged youngsters living in Asia.
The family who found the bodies are not connected to the deaths.
Vaaelua said: "I really feel for the families of these victims.
"This is no easy investigation. No matter how long or how many years you serve and investigate horrific cases like this, it’s never an easy task.
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"The investigation team is working very hard to hold accountable the person or persons responsible for the death of these children."
Key clues to solving the case will include DNA testing, examining the toys and personal items found with the cases, working with experts at Interpol, and tracking down who put the cases into the storage unit.
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