Teenager’s body found in Malaysia
A BODY found in Malaysia has been confirmed to be that of missing teenager Nora Quoirin.
The 15-year-old’s body was identified yesterday, hours after it was discovered following a large-scale search operation.
The London teenager, who had special needs, disappeared from the jungle resort of Dusun on Sunday, August 4, where she had been on holiday with her family.
The Lucie Blackman Trust, which is handling media for the Quoirin family, confirmed “with great sadness” that the body was identified by local police.
The trust added that the teenager’s family would not immediately be making any statement, and asked that their privacy be respected “at this awful time”.
Earlier, national deputy police chief Mazlan Mansor told reporters at a press conference the body had been found beside a small stream about 1.6 miles from the resort, by volunteers helping the search team. He added that the body “was not in any clothings” and said while it remained a missing persons case police were looking into all possibilities including the “angle of criminal investigation”.
Nora’s mother had made a heartfelt appeal on Monday to find her as a £10,000 reward – donated by an anonymous Belfast business – was offered for information leading to her safe return.
The teenager’s parents, Meabh and Sebastien Quoirin, a French-Irish couple who have lived in London for 20 years, thanked those looking for her as fundraising pages set up by Nora’s aunt and uncle collected more than £100,000 from wellwishers.
President of Ireland Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina offered their “deepest condolences” to Nora’s parents, to her siblings and to her extended family.
Volunteer hikers and even reportedly a shaman were among those taking part in the search for Nora, who was born with the brain defect holoprosencephaly.
The Quoirins had said Nora’s condition meant she was not independent and had difficulty walking.
On Monday morning, a total of 348 personnel were deployed in the search operation, according to Malaysia’s Malay Mail newspaper.
Previously, search crews looking for Nora played her mother’s voice in the dense Malaysian forest near where she disappeared.
Mrs Quoirin could be heard saying, “Nora, darling, Nora, I love you, Mum is here” on the recording.
Police had said the teenager, who was travelling on an Irish passport, was believed to have climbed out of her resort room window.
After Nora went missing, her family described how she was particularly vulnerable.
They said: “Nora is a very special person. She is fun, funny, and extremely loving. With her family, she is very affectionate – family is her whole world.”