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KUALA LUMPUR: The father of a French-Irish teenager whose body was found in the Malaysian jungle said in an investigation on Thursday (November 12) that he heard noises in the family’s vacation chalet before she disappeared.
The body of Nora Quoirin, a 15-year-old girl with a learning disability, was discovered without clothes last year after a massive hunt through the rainforest.
Authorities insist there was no foul play, but her parents believe she was abducted from the compound where they were staying near Kuala Lumpur, saying the teenager would not have left alone.
Testifying in the investigation into his death, Sebastien Quoirin said he “heard a thud coming from the chalet” late at night on the day the London-based family arrived.
READ: Nora Quoirin: A Chronology of Events
READ: Volunteer hikers describe the moment they found the body of a missing Irish teenager next to a stream
“I could feel that it was close … I cannot describe the nature of the noise,” he said, speaking via video link, as he was unable to attend the hearing in person due to the coronavirus.
However, the 48-year-old Frenchman did not get up to investigate and said he was in a “semi-conscious state.” The teenager’s mother, Meabh Quoirin, made similar claims in her testimony Wednesday.
They found out that their daughter was missing the next morning. A 10-day hunt involving hundreds of rescuers followed, before the schoolgirl’s body was found near the compound.
A latch on the chalet window was broken, but the teenager’s father didn’t think she could have gotten out alone as she struggled with mobility and balance.
“He has no survival instincts. I couldn’t understand how he could get out of the chalet and venture out of the compound,” he said.
READ: Malaysia opens investigation into the death of French-Irish teenager Nora Quoirin
He said the teenager’s feet were unharmed when her body was discovered, which would be unusual if she spent days wandering the jungle, and believes she may have been abducted and later abandoned.
“The kidnappers may have realized that she was a liability after the extensive police search and widespread media attention,” he said.
The family has criticized authorities for responding slowly after the teenager’s disappearance, but police say they conducted a thorough investigation and there are no indications of a kidnapping.
An autopsy found that the teenager had likely died of hunger and internal bleeding, but her family pressed for the investigation, which is expected to continue until December.
