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On Aug. 18, New Zealand police confirmed that the remains of two young children which were found in suitcases bought at an online auction in New Zealand were likely there for "years" before they were discovered last week (Aug. 11).

The suitcases, which were inside a storage unit, were bought by an unsuspecting New Zealand family after successfully winning a bid on Aug. 11, Daily Mail reported.

The police confirmed that the children were likely of primary school age, but their identities have yet to be established.

Family not connected to deaths

The New Zealand family, who are from Manurewa in Auckland, purchased the abandoned storage unit after winning an online auction.

Buyers are not allowed to browse through the contents of the unit beforehand, and could only do so after successfully bidding for the unit, according to Daily Mail.

The family only discovered the human remains after they brought the unit back home on Aug. 11.

Neighbours have also reported foul smells emanating from the family's house, according to local media site Stuff.

The police confirmed that the family was in no way involved, apart from purchasing the unowned storage unit.

The family has also been offered victim support, said the police.

Children aged between five and 10 years old

New Zealand police detective inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua said police believe that the bodies were likely of children aged between five and 10 years old, reported Daily Mail.

He added that the bodies may have been inside the suitcases for between three and four years.

The two suitcases the bodies were found in were of similar sizes.

Vaaelua also said they would analyse CCTV footage.

However, he added that trawling through that much footage may be a challenge, given the amount of time that the bodies were in storage for.

He also confirmed there were relatives of the victims living in New Zealand, but the children have yet to be formally identified.

Homicide investigations are ongoing.

The New Zealand police is also working with Interpol on the case.

Top photo via Stuff