How did Nora die?
Family’s agonising wait for answers after eight-hour post-mortem fails to unravel mystery of girl’s jungle death
THE family of Nora Quoirin face an agonising wait to find out how she died after an eight-hour postmortem examination failed to come up with answers yesterday.
Police in Malaysia said Nora’s family would have to wait until at least today for the results of tests that may unravel the mystery.
The naked body of Nora, 15, who had learning difficulties, was found in the jungle on Tuesday – ten days after she went missing from a holiday resort where the family were staying. Parents Sebastien and Meabh Quoirin yesterday told how their ‘hearts are broken’.
A hiker among a group who discovered the body in perilous terrain said the schoolgirl looked as if she was sleeping.
Nora, from Balham, south London, disappeared on August 4 only hours after the family arrived at the eco-resort nestled within dense jungle.
Her relatives yesterday described the youngster, who was born with a rare genetic condition, as ‘the truest, most precious girl’. In a statement, they said: ‘Nora is at the heart of our family. We love her infinitely. The cruelty of her being taken away is unbearable.’ The Quoirin family thanked the 350 people who took part in the search and others who had offered help and financial donations from across the world.
Nora leaves behind sister Innes, 12, and brother Maurice, eight.
Their mother Meabh, 45, is from Ireland, and father Sebastien, 47, is French. As with all cases involving French citizens, a police inquiry was opened in Paris last night.
The couple identified her body at a hospital and were yesterday comforted by relatives who had flown to Malaysia. The family added: ‘Nora has brought people together, especially from France, Ireland, Britain and Malaysia, united in their love and support for her and her family.
‘She has truly touched the whole world. To all our friends and family at home, we can’t thank you enough for all your love.’ A member of the hiking club that discovered Nora
‘She touched the whole world’
yesterday described his trauma. Sean Yeap said the group found the girl resting with her head on her hands close to a stream.
He added: ‘It looked like she was sleeping, but we all knew she was dead.’ The first sight of Nora reduced two female hikers to tears.
Mr Yeap said: ‘We did not approach but stood about 15 metres away and our team leader called the police. I could see the body.
‘There were some scratches on her arm and some bruises but otherwise there were no injuries.’
The area had already been scoured by searchers, leading to questions as to whether she was moved there or arrived there on her own after the rescue team had been through.
Nora’s family believe she may have been abducted and are adamant she would not have wandered off in the middle of the night alone.
Matthew Searle, of missing persons charity, the Lucie Blackman Trust, which has been helping the family, said Nora’s parents ‘have a large amount of questions.’ He added: ‘One of those questions is “Has the body been there all the time? Or is there a criminal involvement? Was the body dumped there after?”’
Sankara Nair, a Malaysian lawyer for the Quoirins, said they are ‘highly traumatised following the loss of their child’.