The coroner rules that Nora Quoirin’s death was probably due to a ‘misadventure’

Updated 1 hour ago

A Malaysian coroner has ruled that Nora Quoirin’s death was likely due to an accident.

Maimoonah Aid ruled out homicide, natural death and suicide and said the 15-year-old was likely lost after leaving her family’s cabin alone.

The body of the Irish-French teenager was found near a Malaysian jungle resort two weeks after she disappeared on August 4, 2019, a day after her family arrived in the country on vacation.

After an extensive search, her body was found on August 13 next to a stream on a palm oil farm about 2 km from the complex.

Police believe she escaped through the cabin window on her own, with no evidence of any dirty acts.

But Nora’s parents claimed that their daughter was probably abducted because she had mental and physical disabilities and would not have left on her own.

The coroner described that possibility as a theory and said that it would be a breach of his duty to speculate on the participation of third parties without any evidence.

Nora was only wearing underwear when she disappeared, but her body was found naked.

The coroner noted that the family’s claim lends credence to the possibility of sexual assault, but said an extensive autopsy could find no such evidence, or evidence of fighting marks or suffocation.

He also said there were no suspicious circumstances prior to the teenager’s disappearance, no ransom request or signs of intrusion into the family cabin.

“I decided that no one was involved in Nora Anne’s death. Most likely, he died by accident, that is, he had left the (cabin) on his own and then got lost in the abundant palm oil plantation, “said the coroner.

Nora’s parents were listening to the verdict online from their home in London, but did not give an immediate statement.

A total of 49 witnesses testified for 24 days in the investigation, which began last August, via videoconference due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement this morning, the Quoirin family said they were “completely disappointed” with the verdict and claimed that the testimony showed that Nora was abducted.

“Once again, we see that justice fights to support the most vulnerable in society, engaging only with special needs at a superficial level, and not at the level that really reflects children like Nora,” the statement read.

“We believe that we have fought not only for Nora but in honor of all children with special needs in this world who deserve our most committed support and the most careful application of justice.

“This is Nora’s unique legacy and we will never let it go.”