Inquest into death of London teenager Nora Quoirin opens in Malaysia a year after her body was found naked in the jungle following mysterious disappearance while on holiday
- 15-year-old’s disappearance on August 4 sparked a ten-day search in rainforest
- The inquest was opened in Seremban today, 40 miles from capital Kuala Lumpur
- As many as 64 witnesses are to be called. The first was a local police chief
A coroner has opened an inquest into the death of London teenager Nora Quoirin a year after her naked body was found in a jungle in Malaysia.
The 15-year-old’s disappearance from a holiday resort sparked a ten-day search through dense rainforest involving helicopters, sniffer dogs and hundreds of volunteers.
But when her body was found by hikers police said there was no sign of foul play and considered the case closed.
They pointed to an autopsy claiming she had probably starved to death and died of internal bleeding after spending about a week in the dense rainforest.
Her heartbroken parents argued their daughter would never have wondered away alone, and forced authorities to hold an inquest.
The inquest into the death of London teenager Nora Quoirin opened today a year after her naked body was found in a jungle in Malaysia. She is pictured above in a family photo
Parents Meabh and Sebastien demanded an inquest after arguing their daughter would not have wandered off. They are pictured calling for their daughter with a megaphone last year
The first witness called to the court in Seremban, 40 miles from the capital Kuala Lumpur, was local police chief Mohamad Mat Yusop who was involved at the start of the search.
‘The family was distraught when I met them,’ he said. ‘I assured the father we will use all our resources to find the missing girl,’ he said.
As many as 64 witnesses are expected to be called to the court including the hikers that found her body, a British forensic expert and police officers.
Opening proceedings today, Coroner Maimoonah Aid said: ‘We are here to answer a few questions – who is the dead person, when and how she died and whether anyone was responsible.’
The coroner visited Dusun resort and the place where the body was found earlier this month in a trip the Quoirin family’s lawyer described as ‘quite thorough’.
Police officers pictured leaving the court today. The local police chief was the first of 64 witnesses called to the inquest to give evidence
The 15-year-old’s disappearance sparked a ten-day hunt through the rainforest involving helicopters, sniffer dogs and hundreds of volunteers
The inquest will be calling 64 witnesses to the courthouse, pictured, in Seremban
Ahead of the inquest, the teenager’s parents Meabh and Sebastien Quoirin described it as ‘a crucial element in the fight for truth and justice for Nora’.
‘We hope that all avenues surrounding Nora’s disappearance will be fully explored and not just the theory which the police has always favoured,’ they said.
They were not present at the inquest because of the coronavirus pandemic but will be interviewed by the coroner via video-link.
An autopsy concluded that Ms Quoirin probably starved to death and died of internal bleeding after spending about a week in the dense rainforest.