Holiday turns tragic as Nora Anne found dead

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 13 (Bernama) -- What was supposed to have been a memorable holiday in exotic Malaysia turned tragic when special needs Franco-Irish teenager Nora Anne Quoirin was found dead after she went missing from an ecotourism resort where she and her family were staying.

The 15-year-old was reported missing by her family on the morning of Aug 4, a day after the family checked in for a two-week vacation at The Dusun resort in Pantai, Seremban, about 60 kilometres south of this Malaysian capital city.

The nude body of Nora Anne was found near a small stream in a valley about two kilometres from the resort at 1.57 pm today, 10 days after she was reported missing, by a team of hikers who had volunteered to join the search-and-rescue operation.

The body was brought to the Forensics Department at the Tuanku Jaafar Hospital in Seremban where her family confirmed that it was Nora Anne’s.

The search team had covered the location on and off earlier but had not seen the body there.

Less than 24 hours before the discovery of the body, Nora Anne's parents had announced an RM50,000 reward to anyone with information on the whereabouts of their daughter.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Mazlan Mansor told a press conference at the Pantai Police Station in Seremban that the police had been investigating the incident as a “missing person” case and were awaiting the results of the autopsy to be conducted at the Tuanku Jaafar Hospital.

The search for Nora Anne had received widespread coverage in the local and international media, with the reporters camping near the search area from the day the teenager was reported missing.

The search also drew the attention of Malaysians who kept tabs on every aspect of the operation that involved a large number of people from various authorities, among them the commando 69 unit, K9 sniffer dogs, the Senoi Praaq unit, firefighters, the Civil Defence Force and People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) as well as residents and volunteers.

The search-and-rescue team faced various challenges as it scoured the area of dense forest of tall trees on undulating terrain.

The unpredictable weather, with rain for the past three days, had also turned made the area muddy and slippery.

The police Air Wing Unit also helped out with the search, using advanced equipment and drones.

Several policemen from Ireland, England and France have been in the country since last week to assist in the investigation into the teen's disappearance.

As soon as the body was found, a forensics team carried out an investigation at the scene and the body was airlifted by helicopter to the Tuanku Jaafar Hospital where the family identified the body.

An autopsy to determine the cause of death will be conducted tomorrow morning by a senior pathologist from Kuala Lumpur.

Nora Anne was found missing from her hotel room at the resort by her family at 8 am on Aug 4. The teenager, who had learning difficulties, had arrived with her family in Malaysia on Aug 3 for a two-week vacation.

 -- BERNAMA