‘We believe she was abducted’: Parents of Nóra Quoirin call for fresh investigation

The parents of Franco-Irish teenager Nóra Quoirin, have thanked the Irish public for the support, and have said they remain convinced that she was abducted

Meabh and Sebastian Quoirin appeared on RTÉ’s Late Late Show on Friday night and told host Ryan Tubridy that they were continuing to seek the truth about what happened to their daughter after her death was classified by Malaysian authorities as “no further action” (NFA).

Irish citizen Nóra Quoirin went missing on Sunday, August 4th, after arriving at The Dusun resort near the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.

Her disappearance sparked a massive 10-day search in the jungle. It sadly came to a tragic end on Tuesday, August 13th when her body was discovered in a ravine beside a stream 2km from the resort.

Malaysian police have revealed that, according to an autopsy, teenager Nóra died of internal bleeding in her intestine, which was likely caused by “hunger or extreme stress” but her parents have said that all evidence doesn’t point to it being so simple, due to Nóra being born with Holoprosencephaly – a rare congenital disorder which left her struggling to walk and balance normally.

Related: What the tragic loss of Nóra Quoirin has reminded us about sisterhood

The couple called on the authorities in Malaysia to reopen the investigation into her death and criticised the manner in which some aspects of the case had been handled in the early stages.

“I knew immediately that Nóra had been taken”

Nóra’s father Sebastian Quoirin said that he will remember the moment he realised his daughter was missing “for the rest of his life”.

“I looked at the bed, Nóra was missing and I could feel it in my bones. You cannot underestimate the parental instinct. I felt and I knew immediately that Nóra had been taken,” he said.

Nóra’s mother Meabh Quoirin added that she realised “very quickly” that the window of the bedroom was open.

“I had closed [the window] the night before. For me that was it, we knew that she’d been taken and probably out of that window,” she said, adding that it would have been “physically and mentally” impossible for Nóra to have climbed out the window.

Following the search and subsequent discovering of Nóra’s body, authorities could only inform the family that a body of a young girl had been discovered as a formal identification had yet to take place.

However, Meabh Quoirin said she knew “immediately” that it was Nóra.

“Immediately, we knew and I can still hear myself screaming no at the police officers. We had to face the inevitable and within a matter of hours we were taken in a police convoy to the hospital where we had to identify Nóra”

Inquest 

Since Nóra’s death, the family have been calling on Malaysian authorities to open an inquest into the case, as they believe there was a criminal element to the case.

“We believe she was abducted. We believe she was kept in the jungle for the time she was missing. We don’t really feel it’s helpful to speculate beyond that because there are many theories as to why and what exactly happened. At this stage, what’s important for us is to let the police do their job,” Meabh added.

“I think people have genuinely no idea how much that helps when you’re facing immeasurable pain”
Thank you to Meabh & Sebastian Quoirin who spoke to us about the support they received after the tragic death of their daughter Nóra in Malaysia last year. https://lbt-in-ireland.raisely.com/ pic.twitter.com/k2FC00oZnn

— The Late Late Show (@RTELateLateShow) January 18, 2020

Both parents explained that they had been assured that they would have “full transparency” following visits from Government officials, including the Deputy Prime Minister.

“She said everything would be done by the Malaysian authorities to find the truth,” Sebastian said, before claiming they “haven’t heard a single word” about fresh investigations since leaving the country five months ago.

“It’s why the inquest is absolutely critical because without the inquest the case is closed and if the case is closed there will be no truth and we will be deprived from justice.”

The couple then thanked the Irish public for their constant support, which they said helped them get through an unspeakably horrific time.