The Strange Case of Nora Quoirin

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7321403/Malaysian-police-treat-disappearance-British-schoolgirl-Nora-Quorin-15-abduction.html?ico=pushly-notifcation-small

Other reports now denying it was an abduction which brings something else to mind.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-49231079

When I read the first reports when they surfaced a couple of days ago, that was the first thing that came to mind - the similarities between this disappearance and Madeleine McCann.

One thing that is different is that the family had only just arrived the day before at the resort, whereas we know, with Madeleine, the holiday was nearly over.

The parents in Nora's case are stating that it would be out of character for her to wander away. However to my mind, if the family had only arrived the day before, perhaps Nora (who has a learning disability) was confused and did wander away - how many other holidays had she been on previously? And if there were previous holidays abroad, how did she react to those?

Going back to the similarities between this case and Madeleine's case, we're led to believe that the parents in Nora's case are promoting the idea that she was abducted, and that the police have not agreed with that, at this point.

To my mind, if Nora was abducted, how would anyone (the potential abductee) have had a chance to decide to take her, if the family had only arrived the day before?

Edited to add some more details from press reports:

It's a "gated community".
The family arrived the previous morning (Aug 3).
Nora was discovered missing at 8am on the morning of August 4.
Locals say that people do go missing but it's usually hikers who get lost in the jungle.
Locals say this is the first time they've heard of anything like this happening.

Why would someone abduct a teenager with learning disabilities? maybe the disabilities were not obvious. Even so, why kidnap a normal 15 year old from an ordinary family with no money for a big ransom?

As Canada 12 said the family arrived the day before which hardly gives abductors the chance to research the victim. Now we have no reason to think she was very small for her age, so how did abductors (presumably normal size get thro the window) and get her out, presumably struggling and crying?  

Madeleine McCann was an almost 4 year old who was barely average sized for her age and who maybe had been given something by her parents to help her sleep - theoretically possible to kidnap her - though I don't believe it.

So really two possibilities - the girl went for a midnight exploration in her new and exciting environment and met an accident - or the parents know more than they are saying.....

Agree with you completely Antonia.
We have so little accurate information to go on....for instance, if it is a "gated" community, does that mean the resort had a wall all the way around it and a locked gate keeping it secure? If so, then how could she have got beyond the grounds of the resort? Or is that information about it being "gated" wrong?

I guess this is one of the major problems with relying on press reports for accurate information. Especially when half the media is tabloids and they're only interested in "bigging up" the more sensational aspects of the story, without paying attention to actual details. Plus we have the disadvantage of it happening in a very remote location, with minimal information (perhaps deliberately) coming from the police.

Just to add to this, I'm surprised Kate and Gerry haven't leaped in to provide their support (as they would have done in the past!).

But perhaps they'd rather the press just shine the spotlight away them from now on...

I'm also surprised the press (so far) haven't drawn comparisons to Madeleine McCann... times have definitely changed!

Canada12 - perhaps Gerry and Kate don't want to make any comparison between this 15 year old, with serious learning difficulties who was very vulnerable, and with their perfect almost 4 year old?

The girl had two younger siblings - why not kidnap them - smaller and easier to get through a window?

One of the problems is that we don't actually know what kind of "window" it was... was it a sliding door onto a deck or a balcony? Was it a regular sized bedroom window? We'd need to see an actual photo of her bedroom to try and understand the possible scenarios.

This is from the New Straits Times. It seems to be one of the more balanced reports.

Police rule out abduction in disappearance of Irish teen
https://www.nst.com.my/news/crime-courts/2019/08/510377/police-rule-out-abduction-disappearance-irish-teen


Negri Sembilan police chief Datuk Mohamad Mat Yusop said this was based on information provided by Quoirin’s sister, who had found one of the windows in the room open on Sunday morning. - NSTP/IQMAL HAQIM ROSMA

By Nur Aqidah Azizi
August 5, 2019 @ 11:07pm

SEREMBAN: Missing Irish teen Nora Quoirin is believed to have left her room at a resort, near here, on her own.

Negri Sembilan police chief Datuk Mohamad Mat Yusop said this was based on information provided by Quoirin’s sister, who had found one of the windows in the room open on Sunday morning.

He denied that police had classified the case as an abduction.

Mohamad said it was too early for police to conclude that the 15-year-old had been abducted or kidnapped.

“A search of the girl’s room at the resort did not turn up any evidence of a criminal element in her disappearance. The victim’s sister noticed that one of the windows in the room was opened on the morning she went missing, and believes Nora had gone out the window herself.

“The case is being treated as a missing person case. We deny reports in the foreign media linking this case to any criminal element or abduction,” he said at a press conference called specifically yo address the issue.

News of Quoirin's disappearance went viral on Sunday, with several individuals, believed to be relatives, taking to Twitter to appeal to the public for help in locating her.

It is understood that Quoirin, who has a learning disability, arrived in Negri Sembilan with her family on Aug 3, for a two-week holiday.

The case is being treated as a missing person case. We deny reports in the foreign media linking this case to any criminal element or abduction,” Datuk Mohamad Mat Yusop said at a press conference called specifically yo address the issue. - NSTP/IQMAL HAQIM ROSMA

The teenager, however, was found missing on Sunday morning by family members, prompting the resort's management and authorities, including a platoon from the General Operations Force based in Cheras, to launch an immediate search operation to find her.

A charity based in Britain, The Lucie Blackman Trust, had reportedly issued a media statement claiming that police were investigating the case as an abduction.

In a statement reported by international media, Matthew Searle, chief executive of the overseas crisis support group, had said that Quoirin could have been a victim of a serious crime.

Mohamad said, as of 7pm, police have yet to find any indication as to the teen's whereabouts.

“The search and rescue operation continues... at 8am tomorrow, we will be adding more personnel and we will have a helicopter from the Police Air Unit joining in the search,” he said.

Mohamad said police believe the teenager was still in the vicinity of the resort and urged the public and the media not to spread false news.

“If they have information, pass it on to the police. Our men have never issued a statement saying the teenager was taken away as reported by the foreign media citing sources from Malaysian police,” he said.

More from the New Straits Times...
Disappearance of Irish girl raises questions
By Bernama - August 6, 2019 @ 7:43am
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2019/08/510402/disappearance-irish-girl-raises-questions

NILAI: The disappearance of an Irish teenager since Monday at The Dusun resort here has not only gained widespread coverage in the local and international media, but also raised questions.

Locals were puzzled by the possibility that the 15-year-old girl, who has special needs, could have strayed from the resort.

“This is the first case of missing person at this resort because if you heard the case of missing trekker in Gunung Berembun, it’s normal,” Kampung Kolam Air Pantai Tok Batin (village head) Ali Ngongor, told Bernama.

Ali, who is joining the search and rescue (SAR) mission, said it was impossible for the teenager to get into the thick jungle, let alone survive for a long time.

“But there is also possibility of mystical elements. The resort is not monitored, it’s all at one’s own risk,” he said.

The Dusun, located 16 kilometres from the town of Seremban, is a private nature resort that begins with a durian orchard before being planted with a variety of trees and developed into a resort and opened to the public in 2009 with two houses or chalets.

International media practitioner Mohd Syawaluddin Mohd Zin said the disappearance of Nora Anne Quoirin, had drawn the attention of the international community.

“What’s more, she’s a special child,” he said, adding that he had to commute from Kuala Lumpur to here to get coverage.

Negri Sembilan deputy police chief SAC Che Zakaria Othman said the number of SAR team members had increased to 168 compared to 159 on Monday morning.

“The tracker unit of Senoi Praaq has also been mobilised and so far there has been no clue and no element of foul play,” he said, adding that the area of the search was extended to 12 kilometres from the resort.

Meanwhile, Negri Sembilan Women Affairs, Family and Welfare Committee chairman Nicole Tan Lee Koon said efforts to meet the victim’s family members had been to no avail as they were not ready to receive guests.

“I have tried to meet the parents of the missing girl but they do not want to see anyone for now,” she said.

Checks found that some foreign tourists also helped to find the missing teenager and aerial search was being conducted by the police.

The media reported that the teenager’s parents woke up on Sunday morning to find their daughter missing from her bedroom at the resort. –Bernama

And more...

Search still on for missing 15-year-old Irish girl
By Mohd Amin Jalil - August 5, 2019 @ 3:38pm
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2019/08/510245/search-still-missing-15-year-old-irish-girl

SEREMBAN: Cases of missing or lost persons in the vicinity of Pantai Hill near here is nothing new for residents in the area.

A resident, Nikt Wong, 48, said it usually involved hikers who had lost their way in the dense jungle.

As someone who has been living at the top of the hill for the past seven years, he claimed that the disappearance of an Irish teenager, Nora Anne Quoirin, 15, who went missing yesterday, was the first case of its kind to have ever occurred.

“Previously, cases of missing or lost people in this area involved only hikers, but they were found after a few days.

“However the incident involving the missing girl from a resort is the first such case. I found out about it at 11am yesterday through friends from The Dusun Tesort area where the teen’s family have been staying.

“After getting the information, my friends and I helped with the search operation, including patrolling the entrance and exit of the hill area,” he said when met at the scene today.

He said it was not an easy task to find a missing person in the area as the hills were surrounded by dense forests, and there were rivers in the hillside that had previously recorded terrible incidents.

“I have had experience in helping to find missing or lost victims in this area before, and I plan to use the religious method after nearly 20 hours of efforts to help find the victim has come to no avail.

“I sympathise with the victim’s family and hope this effort will assist the authorities in locating the missing person,” said Wong, who was accompanied by his wife.

Local resident Mat Sah Jang, 40, admitted that he was shocked to learn about Nora's disappearance.

“I have been living here since I was little and not once have I heard anyone being attacked by any wildlife.

“I do not think the missing teenager has gone very far. I believe she is still in the vicinity of the resort as it is a gated area,” said Mat Sah, who also helped in the search operation.

Nora, who has learning difficulties, arrived in Negri Sembilan with her parents and two other siblings on Saturday for a two-week holiday.

She was reported missing yesterday from The Dusun Resort where she and her family were staying during their holiday.

Checks conducted at the resort found that the victim’s family members are still at the resort. They however declined to be interviewed or comment on the incident.

And some non-tabloid reporting from the UK.
These next two stories are from The Times, which is behind a paywall.

Family's plea after girl, 15, goes missing in Malaysia
Fariha Karim
5 August 2019
The Times
A search has begun for a British teenager who vanished from her hotel during a holiday with her parents in Malaysia.

Nora Quoirin, 15, who has learning difficulties, was with her family at the Dusun rainforest resort near Seremban, southeast of Kuala Lumpur. When her parents, Meabh and Sebastien Quoirin, woke up yesterday morning they found that she was missing and the window of her hotel room was open.

Malaysian firefighters and police, including officers with sniffer dogs, have started looking for her.

Superintendent Mohd Marzukee Besar, the district police chief, said yesterday that efforts to locate her were continuing. "All police personnel [in the area] have been instructed to help," he said.

Nora's friends and family have been circulating news of her disappearance on social media in the hope someone will have information.

Catherine Morrison, a friend of the family, said that the disappearance was "completely out of character", adding that her parents were "frantic".

She told the BBC: "They had just arrived it was going to be a trip of a lifetime. They checked into their hotel, the Dusun. It looked beautiful with little cottages and an infinity pool. They went to bed, but this morning Nora was not in her room and the window was open."

Her mother is from Belfast and her father is French, but the family have lived in London for about two decades, most recently in Balham in the south of the city. Nora is understood to have been using her Irish passport.

Catherine Cook, a family friend, said it was "out of character for Nora to go wandering off".

"I'm a mother and I burst into tears just hearing this story," she said. "I cannot imagine the hell that they are living right now. I just ask for anyone who can help them to do so as soon as possible.

"To my knowledge the French government and the Irish government are helping them and it would be great if other agencies or governments worldwide could support them."

Michael Agnew, Nora's uncle, wrote on Facebook: "Any friends with connections in Malaysia please get in touch if you think you can help in any way, my niece Nora Quoirin has gone missing in Seremban, an hour or so from [Kuala Lumpur]. She is 15 with special needs, and hasn't been seen since everyone went to bed last night."

Aisling Agnew, her aunt, has been contacting Malaysian MPs.

A spokesman for Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs said: "We are aware of the case and providing consular assistance."

Nóra Quoirin: Police hunt for missing 15-year-old girl in Malaysia
5 August 2019
02:08 PM
thetimes.co.uk

Police in Malaysia are looking for a 15-year-old girl with an Irish passport who disappeared from her hotel bedroom at the weekend.

Nóra Quoirin’s father found she was missing from her room at the Dusun Hotel, in a nature reserve near Seremban, 63 kilometres south of Kuala Lumpur, on Sunday morning, her family said. The window had been left open.

Her family are being supported by the Lucie Blackman Trust, a British charity. Her aunt, Aisling Agnew, said in a statement released by the trust that they considered her disappearance to be a criminal matter.

Ms Agnew, from Belfast, said: “Nóra’s parents and relatives in Ireland and France are distraught by her disappearance. Nóra is a child with special needs and has learning and developmental disabilities which make her especially vulnerable and we fear for her safety.

“Nóra would not know how to get help and would never leave her family voluntarily. We now consider this a criminal matter. We are appealing to everyone to assist the local police in any way they can and to pass on any information that would help locate our beloved Nóra without delay.”

Nóra’s parents are an Irish-French couple who have been living in London for 20 years, the trust said.

Che Zakaria Bin Othman, the deputy police chief for Negeri Sembilan state, said: “So far, there’s no indication of foul play; however, the investigation is still ongoing.”

He said that police had met Nóra’s family and Irish and French embassy officials on Sunday and yesterday.

“All officials are still up there at the hotel, we discussed with them all, and God willing, we will continue the search until it is successful,” he said.

The Lucie Blackman Trust insisted the family had been told that police were treating Nóra’s disappearance as a criminal matter.

In a statement on its Facebook page, the organisation said: “Contrary to several reports that police are NOT treating Nóra’s disappearance as an abduction, the family have been told directly by police that they are treating it as both an abduction and missing persons case.”

This is the Lucie Blackman Trust, who have taken up the Nóra Quoirin case.

https://www.lbtrust.org
Formed after the brutal killing in Japan of Lucie Blackman in 2000, The Lucie Blackman Trust exists to support British nationals in crisis overseas.


We originally intended to provide free advice and training on safety overseas, but soon realised there was a greater job to do.

Providing families with information, liaison, advice and support throughout a missing person's case overseas remains a core part of our operations. Every year we reunite many families with the loved one they feared they may never see again.

The skills, knowledge and contacts we have gained in years of providing this support, along with a mutually respected relationship with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, have enabled us to expand our remit, and we are now able to help victims of any type of serious crime.

We have been providing a revolutionary level of care to families of British murder or manslaughter victims since 2008 and we can offer advice, logistical support, repatriation assistance, problem solving, fundraising support and much more to victims of any serious crime overseas.

Please look through the site and, if you find the support you need isn't here, please let us know. We grow through solving problems.

-----------------------------
Guess which high profile "abduction" from Portugal is not listed among the cases it's helping families with.

I did wonder if the Lucie Blackman Trust had ever been involved with the McCanns.

I'm surprised if they weren't seeing that every man and his dog seems to have thrown in their tuppence worth (please excuse the pun) to this case.

any sign of British Embassy staff travellling down overnight?

Good to "see" you again, Bampots.

I suppose we can't expect such a response for a non-British citizen! Not that any "normal" Brits would have got the attention that the McCanns did; maybe one day we will know the reason.

Hello - Jim Gamble is on the case!

https://news.sky.com/video/authorities-in-malaysia-search-for-missing-nora-quoirin-11779019

So now it appears the family was in a two-bedroom bungalow and Nora was sharing her bedroom with two younger siblings.

The parallels with the MM case continue...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7328005/Search-dogs-pick-scent-missing-British-girl-Nora-Quoirin.html

Thanks for the link. I was wondering if her siblings were in the same room. How old are they I wonder? Didn't they hear anything during the night?

Alarm bells are definitely going off with this one.

This is the resort where they were staying... very very isolated and with a very limited number of "guest houses"... there are only one or two which would have been suitable for a family of two adults and three children.
http://thedusun.com.my

Freedom wrote:Thanks for the link. I was wondering if her siblings were in the same room. How old are they I wonder?  Didn't they hear anything during the night?

Alarm bells are definitely going off with this one.

I definitely have alarm bells going off.

The siblings are younger - ages unknown and were sharing the second bedroom with her. Hard to understand how an intruder could have got her out, not having woken her or the two siblings or the parents who were in the next bedroom. Apparently she went missing in her pajamas which is the only thing that suggests abduction.

Money being raised now on gofundme.

Will they set up a Fund.....? With accounts lacking in any transparency?

It's strange that they're referred to as siblings with no details - why the secrecy? It would be normal to give their names and ages.

A boy and a girl, according to this report:
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/nora-quoirin-irish-girl-missing-in-malaysia-search-rescue-11786114

I tried looking them up on Ancestry however the birth records only go up to 2007. Nora was born in 2004 so she's there. But not her brother and sister.

I wonder if they are twins!

Another inconsistency - her grandfather said that she has a "mild" handicap; the other reports say severe learning difficulties.

canada12 wrote:A boy and a girl, according to this report:
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/nora-quoirin-irish-girl-missing-in-malaysia-search-rescue-11786114

I tried looking them up on Ancestry however the birth records only go up to 2007. Nora was born in 2004 so she's there. But not her brother and sister.

Could they have been adopted? if a first child has serious health issues, some parents will look at adoption to avoid the risk of another sick child, especially if doctors tell them its a genetic issue and could happen again.