TEENAGER NÓRA QUOIRIN went missing several days ago in Malaysia. So far, local police have been unable to trace the 15-year-old Irish citizen, who is the daughter of an Irish-French couple and has special needs.
As the search continues, here’s what we know so far.
Sunday 4 August
Nóra and her family are staying in the Malaysian resort of Dusun in Seremban, only a short distance from Kuala Lumpur.
Her family discover her missing from her bedroom at 8am local time. Nóra’s window had been opened.
Monday 5 August
Nóra’s aunt, who lives in Belfast, said that her parents and family were “distraught”.
“Nóra is a child with special needs and has learning and developmental disabilities which make her especially vulnerable and we fear for her safety,” she said.
Agnew said that Nóra would never leave her family voluntarily.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said that it was providing “consular assistance” to the family. The French Foreign Ministry also intervened in the case.
Malaysian police rule out “foul play”, with a police official promising to continue searching until Nóra is found.
Tuesday 6 August
As the search continues, a helicopter, two drones and 214 people from several government agencies are all deployed to help search for Nóra.
Wednesday 7 August
On the fourth day of the search, a team of divers searched a river in the forest near the resort.
Che Zakaria Othman, deputy police chief of Negeri Sembilan state where the resort is located, said around 20 witnesses – including family members – had been interviewed.
Police confirm that forensic experts took fingerprints from the window panel of Nóra’s bedroom.
“We are not ruling out any possibilities but so far we don’t have any information,” Zakaria Othman added.
“We still believe she is in the area because there is no information that says she has left.”
The family issue a statement on Wednesday evening asking “everyone to keep Nóra in their thoughts”.
“Nóra is still missing, and she is very vulnerable, and we need to do everything we can to bring her home.”
Thursday 8 August
Police confirm that there have been no positive leads in the search for Nóra. They also note that they’re liaising with Interpol.
A voice recording of Nóra’s mother is used to help with the search of the Malaysian jungle, in the hope it might draw her out.
Nóra’s disappearance is still being officially treated as a missing person case, but her family maintain that foul play was involved.
With additional reporting from AFP.
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