A body of a Caucasian female has been found during the search for a
British schoolgirl who went missing from a resort while on a family holiday in Malaysia.
Nora Quoirin, who has learning and developmental disabilities vanished from the Dusun forest eco-resort, in southern Negeri Sembilan state, last Sunday morning.
She was staying in an apartment with her Irish-French parents, Meabh and Sebastien, and her younger brother and sister. Malaysian
police confirmed that rescuers had found a body near where Nora was reported missing more than a week ago.
Negeri Sembilan state police chief Mohamad Mat Yusop said officials are in the process of determining whether it is the 15-year-old.
On Tuesday a spokesman for the Lucie Blackman Trust which is handling media enquiries for the family said the body is “likely” to be that Nora.
They added: “The Lucie Blackman Trust can confirm a body has been found in the search for Nora Quoirin.
“At this time we cannot confirm it is Nora. However it sadly seems likely. Investigations are under way to confirm identity and cause of death.Media release - #missing Nora Quoirin. Our thoughts and support are with her family. PLEASE RESPECT THEIR PRIVACY AND PLEASE DO NOT APPROACH FAMILY AND FRIENDS pic.twitter.com/YJIZDJmt9S— Lucie Blackman Trust (@MissingAbroad) August 13, 2019“The charity will update as soon as possible. Please respect the family and do not approach them at this difficult time.”
A Belfast-based company had offered a £10,000 reward for information about the missing teenager, who lived in Balham with her family.
A window, which reportedly can only be opened from the inside of their apartment, was found wide open on the morning Nora was reported missing.Nora’s parents are adamant that they had “no reason to believe she wandered off and is lost” and insisted she had been abducted – putting them at odds with the local police.
But while police have refused to rule out a “criminal element”, they have maintained no signs of foul play have been found.
Police chief Yusop told reporters on August 6 that he believed Nora had climbed out of a window.Up to 350 people were taking part in the search for Nora, including officers from British,
Irish and French police forces, and a Malaysian shaman who was filmed performing rituals and weeping in the forest surrounding the family’s holiday apartment, around 40 miles south of Kuala Lumpur.
Shortly before the discovery of the body, Nora’s mother told the media: “Nora is our first child. She has been vulnerable since the day she was born. She is so precious to us and our hearts are breaking, We are appealing to anyone who has information about Nora to help us to find her.”
Nora was born with holoprosencephaly, meaning that she has a smaller brain and has spent much of her young life in hospital.Related... How Does A Vulnerable British Schoolgirl Just Vanish Into Thin Air In The Malaysian Forest? Police Expand Search For Missing Teenager In Malaysia Disappearance Of
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