Teenager Nora Quiorin was alive in the Malaysian jungle for a week while rescue teams desperately searched for her before she died from intestinal damage likely caused by hunger and stress, police revealed today.
The 15-year-old had no signs of physical or sexual violence on her body, pathologists said after a 12-hour autopsy, quashing fears that she could have been kidnapped and killed before her remains were dumped. But the post-mortem result will add further agony for parents Sebastien and Meabh, as it means she could have been found alive if search teams had got to her in time.
The 15-year-old had no signs of physical or sexual violence on her body, pathologists said after a 12-hour autopsy, quashing fears that she could have been kidnapped and killed before her remains were dumped. But the post-mortem result will add further agony for parents Sebastien and Meabh, as it means she could have been found alive if search teams had got to her in time.
Nora, who suffered from learning difficulties, was reported missing on August 4 during a family holiday to a Malaysian eco-resort after her parents woke to find a window to their apartment open and their daughter was gone. A 10-day search involving hundreds of police, volunteers, sniffer dogs and helicopters was launched to find her before her body was discovered just 1.5miles from the resort near a remote jungle waterfall. The fact that the area had been searched previously - with no sign of her found - and the fact that she was found naked when it was thought she left the family apartment wearing underwear, raised the prospect she had been kidnapped and dumped. But it now appears that she wandered off into the jungle and got lost before succumbing to starvation. It is not clear what happened to her clothes.
After volunteer hikers found her body, she was taken to a hospital Seremban where pathologists carried out a post-mortem, with the results revealed at a press conference this morning. Malaysia's Deputy Commissioner Datuk Mohamad Mat Yusop told reporters that Nora likely died two to three days before her body was found, meaning she was alive and lost in the jungle for six or seven days. The ruptured intestine was most likely caused by stress brought by not eating any food, medics said. Mr Yusop said she had not eaten any food and this was a factor in her death. He added that the Quoirins are now able to claim their daughter’s body for burial and return to London. Police sources said detectives from the UK France and Ireland were present during part of the autopsy. The Malaysia Attorney General will decide if an inquest will be held. Addressing a packed press conference, the police chief said her leg had scratches on it but there was no other sign of violence. Further tests will be carried out at a laboratory for chemical analysis. Nora’s parent was informed of the results before they were made public.
A statement issued by Nora's family before the post-mortem results were revealed said: 'We would like to thank all the people that have been searching for Nóra and trying their best to find her. 'We thank the local people here and those far and wide for their prayers and support at this time. Nóra 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.' Nóra is at the heart of our family. She is the truest, most precious girl and we love her infinitely. The cruelty of her being taken away is unbearable. Our hearts are broken. We will always love our Nóra.' Sankara N. Nair, the lawyer for the family, said they 'expect the police to do a thorough investigation into the incident, including criminal angles.' Nora's parents have not said what their course of action will be following the post-mortem, but a criminal inquiry now appears unlikely. Sean Yeap, a member of the search team which found Nora, previously described the moment he discovered her body in the jungle. He said: 'It looked like she was sleeping. Her head was resting on her hands. 'But we all knew she was dead. 'It was very sad and two women in the group did not want to come close and they started crying.
'I think maybe she was elsewhere and walked to the stream perhaps to drink some water.' The place, where she was found, is not easy to find. I wonder if she had been following the stream as there were no footprints which means she could have been walking in the water as it was not very deep.' Mr Yeap, an insurance salesman, was with a group of 24 experienced hikers who had left the Dusun resort - where the family had been staying - to look for Nora on the 10th day of the search having volunteered to join. Led by team leader Kenny Chan, the men and women set off to follow a trail on a palm oil plantation about 1.2miles from where Nora disappeared on August 4th. He said they met an Indian man who told them he was familiar with the area and would assist them. They followed a trail through the oil plantation when one of the group said he could smell a strong odour coming from the jungle. It was then they came across tragic Nora's body near a waterfall that the missing schoolgirl had excitedly talked about visiting. Yeap and the others, including housewife Shirley Yap, stood back from the shocking discovery and waited for police. Two of the group began crying and were comforted by others.' We knew not to touch the body and let the police do their work,' he said.' The police took about 40 minutes to get there and sealed the scene. We all had to make statements at the police station.' The schoolgirl's grandfather, Sylvain Quoirin, who is a mayor in France, had previously said it was 'unthinkable' Nora would have wandered off alone because of the severity of her learning difficulties. Nora's parents, who have lived in London for 20 years, had previously expressed fears that the schoolgirl had been abducted and had put up a £10,000 reward for information. Mrs Quoirin, 45, held back tears during a statement in which she said the family's 'hearts are breaking' without her.' Nora is our first child. She has been vulnerable since the day she was born,' she said. The teenager had a smaller than average brain and struggled to act independently having been born with Patau's syndrome, or holoprosencephaly. The condition left her struggling to complete everyday tasks and with limited speech, walking ability and co-ordination. During the search operation, rescuers had also played Mrs Quoirin's voice through loudspeakers in the hope her daughter would hear, saying: 'Nora, darling, Nora, I love you, Mummy is here.'Mr and Mrs Quoirin, a data analysis firm salesman and market research company director, met in Northern Ireland and the family live in Streatham, south London. The search for Nora had involved up to 350 staff from various government bodies over a period of ten days, alongside helicopters and drones equipped with thermal imagining technology. British, Irish and French police had been dispatched to Malaysia to join the search.