An inquest into the death of Nora Quoirin, the teenager who disappeared while on a family holiday in a Malaysian jungle a year ago, is due begin on Monday.
Nora’s body was found unclothed beside a stream last August, more than a mile from the resort where her family had been staying, following a 10-day-search operation.
Her Irish mother and French father, Meabh and Sebastien, have fought tirelessly for an inquiry into her death, rejecting police suggestions that there was no foul play.
Nora had been sharing a room with her brother and sister at the Dusun, a resort in Seremban, south of Kuala Lumpur. When the family awoke one morning she had disappeared and a large window in the hotel room was open.
Her parents say it would have been out of character for Nora, who had special needs, to wander off alone. Nora was born with the neurological disorder holoprosencephaly, which affects brain development, and her family described her as vulnerable.
The family believe the Malaysian authorities did not understand Nora’s condition, and that time and evidence were lost because they continued to treat her disappearance as a missing person case even though they insisted she had been abducted.
Her parents have described the inquest, which is due to run until 4 September, as “a crucial element in the fight for truth and justice for Nora”.
Nora’s disappearance sparked a large search operation involving officers from the UK, France and Ireland, locals and hundreds of volunteers. As teams scoured for clues, a recording of Meabh Quoirin calling her daughter’s name was played out across the jungle. Her parents believed Nora, who was shy, would not have responded to calls by a stranger.
Her body was discovered by local hikers in an area that was highly inaccessible. An autopsy concluded that Nora was likely to have died of starvation and stress after spending seven days in the jungle. Her parents said that while the autopsy provided some information about the causes of her death, many questions remained unanswered.
“We hope that all avenues surrounding Nora’s disappearance will be fully explored and not just the theory which the police has always favoured,” her parents said in a statement on Friday.
“Only we, her parents, have a real understanding of what Nora was and was not capable of, and up to now it seems that her handicap has not been truly taken into account.”
The Malaysian authorities said in January that the case was closed, but it was announced in June that an inquest would be held this summer. This month the coroner visited the Dusun, as well as the area where her body was found.
More than 60 witnesses will give evidence during the inquest, including the police, the hikers who found the body and a British forensics expert. Nora’s parents will not be present at the proceedings because of the coronavirus pandemic, but will be interviewed by the coroner by video link.
“We cannot imagine closure, we miss Nora every day,” the parents said in their statement. “But we are determined to fight for her, always and however we can.”
