Family’s agony as missing Nora found dead in jungle
NORA Quoirin’s devastated parents last night faced an anxious wait for answers as police finally found her body after 10 days – and refused to rule out foul play.
Meabh, 45, and Sebastien, 47, were yesterday taken to the area where Nora’s body was found before being airlifted to hospital in nearby Seremban. They later formally identified her.
Police said 15-year-old Nora was found “completely naked” at the foot of a jungle ravine next to a swamp and waterfall by hikers yesterday afternoon.
Family spokesman Matthew Searle said the Quoirins had many questions to ask.
He said: “One of those questions is, ‘Has the body been there all the time or is there a criminal involvement? Was the body dumped there afterwards?’.”
The area in the Pantai Hills had already been searched and was just a mile and a half from the Dusun rainforest resort where Nora had been staying with her parents and siblings Innes, 12, and Maurice, eight.
It is understood Nora – who suffered from the brain condition holoprosencephaly, which caused difficulty with walking, balancing and looking after herself – had underwear on when she disappeared.
Abducted
Malaysia’s deputy police chief Mazlan Mansor confirmed a criminal investigation was ongoing.
He added he could not comment on whether someone else could have been involved or whether Nora had suffered any injuries.
Local police chief Mohamad Mat Yusof said search operations will not be called off until a post mortem is carried out today.
He added: “Based on that we will decide if we need to investigate further.”
Nora had last been seen inside her family’s luxury holiday cottage on August 3, just hours after checking in with her family.
Detectives believe she left through a ground-floor aluminium framed window before her father raised the alarm at 8am the following day.
Nora’s family have told police they believed she must have been abducted due to her disability, which meant she would not go anywhere alone.
Her body was found by a group of local hikers in “hilly and difficult” terrain an hour and 20 minutes walk from the resort.
They had decided to search the area after hearing that Nora had been excited about seeing the waterfall when she arrived in the resort.
The group called the police at 1.57pm (6.57am UK time), who arrived at 2.30pm.
Nora’s parents – who live in Balham, south-west London, and offered a £10,000 reward to find her – were allowed inside the cordon at 4.15pm.They were last night being comforted by family.
Before the discovery, mother Meabh had said: “Our hearts are breaking. Nora is our first child and is so precious to us. She has been vulnerable since the day she was born.”
The couple visited a Malaysian church to pray for Nora.
Catholic priest Father George Harrison said: “The parents came here to our mass and then to pray afterwards. I said a prayer for them afterwards and I blessed them.They were here for over an hour. They were OK – calm and staying strong.”
Meabh, originally from Belfast, and French-born Sebastien, are regulars at their local church.