London teen lost at Malaysian resort died from ulcer bleed

Malaysian police said Thursday there were no signs of foul play in the death of a 15-year-old London girl who mysteriously disappeared from a nature resort, with an autopsy showing she succumbed to intestinal bleeding due to starvation and stress.

Nora Anne Quoirin's body was discovered Tuesday beside a small stream about 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) from the Dusun eco-resort after she disappeared from her family's resort cottage on Aug. 4.

Family members of missing British girl Nora Anne Quoirin arrive at a hospital morgue in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

Negeri Sembilan state police chief Mohamad Mat Yusop said the autopsy found no evidence the teenager had been abducted or raped. She was estimated to have been dead two or three days when her body was found, he said.

"For the time being, there is no element of abduction or kidnapping," he told a news conference at the hospital morgue.

"The cause of death was upper gastrointestinal bleeding due to duodenal ulcer, complicated with perforation... it could be due to a lack of food for a long period of time and due to prolonged stress," he said.

Mohamad said there were also some bruises on the girl's legs but wouldn't cause her death. Samples taken from her body will be sent to the chemistry department for further analysis, he said.

The girl's family can take her body back to their country if they wish, he added.

Quoirin's family has said she wasn't independent and wouldn't wander off alone as she had learning and physical disabilities. Police believe she climbed out through an open window in the living room of the cottage but said they were investigated all aspects including possible criminal elements.

Police from Ireland, France and the U.K. are in Malaysia to assist in the investigation. The girl's mother is from Ireland and her father is French, but the family has lived in London for 20 years.

The Paris prosecutor's office on Wednesday said it has opened a preliminary investigation into the girl's death, on potential charges of kidnapping and sequestration.

The prosecutor's office wouldn't elaborate. French authorities often open such investigations when French citizens are victims or otherwise involved in suspected crimes abroad.

Quoirin's family arrived Aug. 3 for a two-week stay at the Dusun, a small resort located in a durian orchard next to a forest reserve 63 kilometers (39 miles) south of Kuala Lumpur.

Her family on Wednesday thanked the more than 350 people who helped search for the girl and said that their hearts were broken.

"Nóra is at the heart of our family. She is the truest, most precious girl and we love her infinitely. The cruelty of her being taken away is unbearable," the family said in a brief statement issued by the Lucie Blackman Trust, a charity that helps families of Britons in crisis overseas.

Malaysia conducts autopsy to find cause of death of UK teen

Malaysian doctors conducted an autopsy Wednesday to determine the cause of death of a 15-year-old London teen whose body was found nine days after she mysteriously disappeared from a nature resort.

Nora Anne Quinn's body was discovered Tuesday beside a small stream about 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) from the Dusun eco-resort in southern Negeri Sembilan state, where she went missing on Aug. 4. The body was airlifted to a hospital, where she was positively identified by her parents.

Her family on Wednesday thanked the rescue team of more than 350 people who helped search for the girl, who has learning and physical disabilities.

"Nóra is at the heart of our family. She is the truest, most precious girl and we love her infinitely. The cruelty of her being taken away is unbearable. Our hearts are broken," the family said in a brief statement issued by the Lucie Blackman Trust, a charity that helps families of Britons in crisis overseas.

"We will always love our Nóra," they said.

Police said a medical team including a senior pathologist from Kuala Lumpur conducted a post-mortem Wednesday to find out how she died. Local media reported that a forensic team also went back to the area where the body was found to comb for evidence. Police didn't say how long the body had been there or why rescuers apparently missed it earlier in the search operation.

Police from Ireland, France and the U.K. are in Malaysia to assist in the investigation. The girl's mother is from Ireland and her father is French, but the family has lived in London for 20 years.

Quoirin's family arrived Aug. 3 for a two-week stay at the Dusun, a small resort located in a durian orchard next to a forest reserve 63 kilometers (39 miles) south of Kuala Lumpur.

Police believe the teen climbed out through a window in the living room of the family's resort cottage. They listed her as a missing person but said the investigation included possible criminal aspects. The girl's family has said she isn't independent and wouldn't wander off alone, and was likely to have been abducted.

Sankara Nair, a Malaysian lawyer hired by the family, said Wednesday that the family hopes police will investigate possible foul play in her death. If the autopsy isn't able to determine how she died, he said the government could hold an inquest later on to identify the cause of death.

Malaysian trackers shout London girl's name in jungle search

Malaysia's indigenous trackers called out the name of a 15-year-old London girl who mysteriously disappeared from a forest resort as the search entered a fifth day Thursday and her family made an emotional appeal for support.

Members of the Senoi Praq, a special police team comprising indigenous tribes famed for their forest tracking skills, shouted "Nora!" as they combed the dense forest surrounding the Dusun eco-resort in southern Negeri Sembilan state.

The family of Nora Anne Quoirin discovered her missing Sunday morning from the resort cottage and believes she was abducted. Police are treating her as a missing person but do not rule out a possible criminal element in her disappearance.

District police chief Nor Marzukee Besar said rescuers will also use recordings of her mother's voice and play them over loudspeakers to try and find her.

Aunt of Nora Anne Quoirin who is missing in Malaysia, reads a video statement in Pantai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

"We still believe this missing person is still within our search vicinity," he told reporters. "We would like to use voice recordings of her mother and use loudspeakers to call her out, whether it's Anne or Nora or whichever name the missing person is familiar with, or even use her siblings' voices," he said.

The rescue operation involves more than 200 people working on shifts through the night as well as a helicopter search, but police have been baffled by a lack of evidence and information in the case.

Quoirin's parents are an Irish-French couple who has lived in London for about 20 years, according to the Lucie Blackman Trust, a British charity that supports people involved in a crisis overseas. Quoirin arrived with her family on Saturday for a two-week stay at the Dusun, a small resort located in a durian orchard next to a forest reserve about 63 kilometers (39 miles) south of Kuala Lumpur.

Nora Quoirin Photos: AP

In a new video released by the Lucie Blackman Trust, the girl's aunt Éadaoin Agnew said the family was devastated but still hopeful.

"This is extremely traumatic for the whole family. Meabh and Sebastien are devastated and too upset to speak themselves at this time," she said, referring to the girl's parents.

"But we must remain hopeful. And we ask everyone to keep Nora in their thoughts and to continue to support the ongoing search for her. Nora is still missing, and she is very vulnerable, and we need to do everything we can to bring her home," she added.

Investigators have questioned 20 people so far and said a forensic team was analyzing fingerprints found in the cottage where the girl was reported missing.

Police have clarified that it was the window in the living hall downstairs that was left open, and not the one in the bedroom upstairs where the girl was sleeping with her two siblings. Her parents were in another room upstairs.

The search has expanded to the riverbed at the foothill of the resort on assumption that she could head downhill to try and find water.

Malaysia uses helicopter, dogs in search for missing UK girl

Police used a helicopter and sniffer dogs Tuesday in an expanded search for a 15-year-old London girl who disappeared from her bedroom at a nature resort in Malaysia over the weekend.

Nora Quoirin’s family says they discovered her missing from her bedroom at the Dusun eco-resort in southern Negeri Sembilan state Sunday morning with the window left open, and considered it a criminal matter. Police have said there were no initial signs of foul play.

District police chief Mohamad Nor Marzukee Besar said rescuers scoured areas surrounding the resort until 3 a.m. Tuesday but found no clues. He said the operation involving over 150 people resumed later Tuesday morning, with a helicopter, sniffer dogs and villagers aiding in an expanded comb through the dense jungle.

“We also searched at night but so far, there are no new leads. The operation is ongoing,” he told The Associated Press by phone, adding that further updates will be given at a news conference later.

The parents of Nora Quoirin, who has learning and developmental disabilities, are an Irish-French couple who’ve lived in London for about 20 years, according to the Lucie Blackman Trust, a British charity support people during a crisis overseas.

Her family arrived Saturday for a two-week trip at the Dusun, a small private resort located in a durian orchard on a little hill next to a forest reserve about 63 kilometers (39 miles) south of Kuala Lumpur.

Haanim Bamadhaj, a resort spokesperson, said Tuesday the Dusun management is baffled by Quoirin’s disappearance. Resort staff and even some guests had joined in the search, she said.

“Our resort has been operating for 10 years and we have never even been robbed. We are doing our very best and praying hard,” she told the AP.

Following Quoirin’s disappearance, she said some guests had cancelled their bookings and that the resort had provided full refunds. Access to the resort has been blocked due to the search operation. The girl’s parents have declined to speak to the media.

Villagers who joined in the search expressed concern over Quoirin’s fate.

“This particular jungle, for outsiders they don’t know how to navigate, they get lost. Natives like me, we are used to this jungle,” said Bali anak Akau.

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