15-year-old London schoolgirl with learning disabilities goes missing from Malaysian resort, family fears abduction
After a 15-year-old London schoolgirl with learning difficulties went missing from a Malaysian resort, an organization that helps British people facing crisis abroad categorized her disappearance as an abduction.
Though officially police are treating the disappearance of Nóra Quoirin as a missing person case, Lucie Blackman Trust put out a post saying the authorities have told her parents that they are also looking into the case as a possible kidnapping.
Quoirin, whose mother is from Belfast and father from France - but they live in London - was on a "trip of a lifetime" with her family at a resort in Seremban, near Kuala Lumpur, when she disappeared. On Sunday, August 4, her parent found her hotel room at the Dusun Resort empty with the window open at 8 am. local time.
"Nóra is a child with special needs and has learning and developmental disabilities which make her especially vulnerable and we fear for her safety," the teenager's aunt was quoted in the trust's post. “Nóra would not know how to get help and would never leave her family voluntarily. We now consider this a criminal matter. We are appealing to everyone to assist the local police in any way they can and to pass on any information that would help locate our beloved Nóra without delay."
The missing girl's uncle also appealed for Quoirin's safe return on social media. "Any friends with connections in Malaysia pls get in touch if you think you can help in any way, my niece (Nora Quoirin, right) has gone missing in Seremban an hour or so from KL. She is 15 with special needs, and hasn't been seen since everyone went to bed last night," he wrote in a post.
Matthew Searle, the chief executive of Lucie Blackman Trust, which is supporting the family at the time of their ordeal, said, "It is possible she has been seen or taken in by somebody and is unable to communicate, so we urge everyone who can to share our appeal poster and social media appeals. Sadly it is also possible that Nóra has been the victim of serious crime – we urge anyone with any information to come forward.”
Nilai OCPD Supt. Mohamad Nor Marzukee Besar confirmed that they had received reports of a 15-year-old girl gone missing at a resort in Pantai Hills.
"Based on preliminary police probe, the family comprising a couple and three children from Ireland had checked into the resort at 7 a.m. on Aug 3. However the family found one of the children named Nora Anne missing from her room at 8.30 a.m. the following morning," he said. "We are continuing with the search and we have also informed all district police chiefs to help out."
The Lucie Blackman Trust later issued an updated statement on their FB page. "We are doing our best to sort through and verify all the information we are getting but all information we are putting out has come directly from Nora's family. Contrary to several reports that police are NOT treating Nora's disappearance as an abduction, the family have [Sic] been told directly by police that they are treating it as both an abduction and missing persons case," the post said.