Nora, my love... Mummy’s here
Plea played on loudspeakers in hunt for missing teen
A HEARTBREAKING plea recorded by the mother of the schoolgirl who disappeared on a family holiday was broadcast in the Malaysian jungle yesterday.
Rescuers hoped the message would ‘jump-start’ Nora Quoirin, 15, to respond after she vanished five days ago shortly after her family arrived at an eco-resort as part of a two-week break.
In the recording, played by search teams through loudhailers, the London schoolgirl’s mother says: ‘Nora, my love, mummy’s here.’
Officials devised the tactic during a fifth day of searches, hoping the familiarity of her mother’s voice would provoke a response if Nora was stranded in the dense terrain suffering from exhaustion.
The voices of several of Nora’s other family members have also been recorded and could be used during further searches.
Malaysian police had yet to find any trace of the teenager last night, admitting they have no leads as to her whereabouts.
Police believe that Nora – who has learning difficulties – became lost after wandering out of her room, and is likely to have remained in the vicinity of the 12-acre Dusun resort, an hour from capital Kuala Lumpur.
But the schoolgirl’s Irish mother Meabh and French father Sebastien believe she may have been abducted. They said it is ‘completely unthinkable’ that she walked off alone, given her vulnerability. Despite classifying the disappearance as a missing person case, Malaysian police have not ruled out the possibility of crime.
A police source said mobile phone activity has been analysed as part of the investigation, including that of Nora’s relatives, staff at the resort and potential local witnesses. But the source said nobody is a suspect and the measure was in line with investigatory guidelines.
Pictures emerged yesterday showing the large downstairs window through which authorities insist Nora left the property while the family slept on Saturday night after arriving at the resort earlier that day.
Nora, who was sleeping upstairs with her sister Innes, 12, and brother Maurice, eight, was found to be missing on Sunday morning by her father at around 8am.
The family has returned to the property, having initially moved out in the aftermath of the disappearance as police carried out forensic work.
Investigators have taken statements from 20 witnesses, including Nora’s parents and younger siblings. The official search party was yesterday increased to 267 people – including the Senoi Praaq police unit, made up of indigenous trackers, who called Nora’s name as they combed the jungle.
A helicopter equipped with thermal imagining technology was also deployed, as searches have been hampered by the treacherous terrain. Interpol, the international crime-fighting agency, has been contacted for assistance.
Nora’s parents, who met in Northern Ireland and have lived in London for 20 years, were yesterday visited by the French ambassador to Malaysia.
Her grandfather Sylvain Quoirin, the mayor of Venizy, south east of Paris, said: ‘The situation is very difficult. It is difficult to find a reason why Nora would have disappeared.’ Nora’s parents have been too upset to speak publicly, but relatives who have flown to Malaysia said the family remains hopeful despite the ‘extremely traumatic’ events.