No traces of drugs found in Nora Quoirin’s system
NO traces of drugs or pesticides were found in the system of Norah Quoirin, the inquest into her death in a Malaysian holiday resort has been told.
The 15-year-old French-irish schoolgirl, whose mum Meabh is from Belfast, disappeared from her family’s cottage at the Dusun eco-resort in southern Negeri Sembilan state on August 4 last year, sparking a massive search operation.
The teenager’s lifeless, naked body was discovered ten days later beside a stream in a palm oil estate over a mile away from the resort.
Nora’s funeral later took place at St Brigid’s Church in south Belfast, where she was baptised.
Suhana Ismail (52), who works at the Chemistry’s Department Toxicology Division was the seventh witness to appear before the inquest into Nora’s death on Wednesday.
She told the Coroner’s Court that a drug analysis conducted on the three specimens obtained from Nora’s remains, including her liver, on August 19 last year, found no traces of common drugs.
She also performed a pesticide analysis on the three specimens on the same date, but did not find any traces of pesticide.
In response to a question from deputy public prosecutor, Nur’atiqah Sapari, who is also the inquest coordinating officer, Suhana said: “Apart from the analysis on the liver specimen labelled ‘ Nora Anne Quoirin’, I also conducted tests on two other specimen — peritoneal fluid from the abdomen and psoas muscle found in the hips or buttocks.
“The organophosphate and organochlorine pesticides are commonly used in the agricultural industry,” she added.
When asked why she only conducted an analysis on drugs and pesticides, Suhana told the coroner Maimoonah Aid that it was because the toxicology division only did analysis of these two substances.
Another chemist, Saiful Fazamil Mohd Ali, who was also the eighth witness in the inquest, said an analysis was done on two soil samples obtained underneath Nora’s body and from the vicinity where the body was found.
He said both samples were most l i kely from t he same source.
“I did an analysis by looking at the soil characteristics and comparing both samples.
“I believe that both are likely from the same source,” he added.
When the coroner asked why it was “likely”, Saiful said the Chemistry Department did not have access to nationwide land density data and the analysis was conducted based on the two soil samples received from the police on August 16 last year.
Nora went missing a day after she and her family arrived in Malaysia for a two-week holiday at the resort, about 40 miles south of Kuala Lumpur.
Her body was found near a creek in a ravine on August 13.
Preliminary surgical reports have stated that there was no criminal element to Nora’s death and that it was caused by gastrointestinal bleeding due to prolonged hunger and stress.
Officers say she was able to leave the resort by herself by getting out of a window which had a faulty latch.
Her parents, Sebastien and Meabh are not present at the inquest due to coronavirus-related restrictions but will take part via the Zoom app,
The couple remain convinced that their daughter, who was vulnerable, had special needs and would not go outside her own front door alone, could not have reached the spot where the body was eventually found.
The location had already been scoured many times during the huge search operation.
Speaking ahead of the inquest, Meabh and Sebastien said they believe their eldest daughter was abducted from the villa and that the hearing will be “crucial in determining the fullest possible picture of what happened to Nora and how her case was dealt with”.
It is understood that as many as 64 witnesses will be involved in the inquest, which is set to run until September 4.
The hearing continues.