Nora was abducted on our jungle holiday, say parents
THE parents of a teenage girl who died in the Malaysian jungle say they are certain she was snatched from their chalet and warned that the abductor could strike again.
Nora Quoirin’s mother and father are pleading for her case to be reopened by the Malaysian authorities.
Nora, 15, died while on a family holiday 40 miles south of Kuala Lumpur last August.
She was last seen in bed at the Dusun Rainforest Resort on August 3, just hours after she checked in with parents Meabh and Sebastien, as well as siblings Innes, 12, and Maurice, eight.
Her body was discovered 10 days later. She died from “intestinal damage” which was said to have been likely caused by prolonged hunger and stress.
Meabh and Sebastien last week learnt that police had declared no inquest will be held and the probe into Nora’s death was officially closed.
The couple have vowed to carry on fighting for justice.
Meabh, 45, said: “We are 100 per cent sure Nora was taken by someone.
“We fear the person involved could strike again.
“We owe it to Nora and the Malaysian people to push for every investigation possible.”
She added: “The minute Nora was found all investigations ground to a halt.
“When we were in Malaysia the deputy prime minister came to see us. She told us, ‘I have instructed the police to act in all transparency and get answers’. But we haven’t heard a word from them.
“They didn’t even tell us they were dropping the investigation – we found out through the Malaysian media last week. We haven’t even seen a post-mortem report.
“I don’t want to describe it as a cover-up by the Malaysian authorities, but the way they are acting can only fuel suspicion,” she said.
Nora, a pupil at a special needs school close to the family home in Balham, south-west London, was born with holoprosencephaly, which meant her brain had not developed properly. It caused her difficulties with walking, balance and looking after herself.
Her French-born father Sebastien, 47, told how “panic” set in at 8am when he got up and discovered Nora was missing. He said: “I realised within a few seconds something catastrophic had happened and started to search frantically. Panic began to unfold.”
Meabh said: “I was telling myself, ‘It’s going to be OK’. But I think deep down I knew it wasn’t. I knew Nora was incapable of getting out of the chalet by herself.”
She added: “The police refused to believe there was a criminal element to Nora going missing from the start.
“Their argument Nora must have got up on her own to go and find monkeys or butterflies simply was not credible.” The search was finally stepped up after international attention focused on the case. After 10 days, Nora’s body was found a mile and a half from the chalet.
Remembering her daughter, Meabh said: “I still feel Nora beside me constantly and I know I’ll walk with Nora beside me every day for the rest of my life.”
The family are now suing the resort where their daughter went missing.
Sebastien said following the closure of the investigation: “We are trying to apply significant pressure to the Malaysian authorities to reopen the inquest. And we remain hopeful the Attorney General will reconsider and we will get an inquest.”
Meabh added: “We must get justice for Nora. What would we be as parents if we didn’t fight for the truth?”
‘We are sure Nora was taken. We fear they could strike again’