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Teen Who Disappeared From Malaysian Nature Resort Died From Starvation and Stress, Officials Say
"The cruelty of her being taken away is unbearable. Our hearts are broken,” Nora Anne Quoirin's family said of their loss.
Officials have determined a 15-year-old London girl who mysteriously disappeared from a nature resort in Malaysia died from intestinal bleeding due to starvation and stress.
Nora Anne Quoirin’s naked body was discovered Tuesday near a small stream about 1.6 miles away from the eco-resort where she had been staying with her family earlier this month, Negeri Sembilan state police chief Mohamad Mat Yusop said, according to Fox News.
An autopsy found no signs that the teen had been raped or abducted.
"For the time being, there is no element of abduction or kidnapping," Yusop said at a news conference according to The Associated Press.
Quoirin disappeared from her family’s resort cottage at Dusun on Aug. 4, just one day after the family had arrived. Her family had believed it was unlikely the teen would have willingly wandered away because of her physical and learning disabilities and believed she may have been abducted.
They said she was “not independent and does not go anywhere alone,” because she had been born with holoprosencephaly, a disorder that impairs brain development, the BBC reports.
However, Malaysian authorities believe Quoirin may have climbed out an open window in the living room of the cottage.
Based on the results of the autopsy, authorities believe 15-year-old died about two or three days before her body was discovered in a hilly area.
“The cause of death was upper gastrointestinal bleeding due to duodenal ulcer, complicated with perforation. … It could be due to a lack of food for a long period of time and due to prolonged stress,” Yusop said.
She also had some small bruising on her legs.
The young teen’s disappearance launched an international effort to find her, with police arriving from Ireland, France and the U.K. to aid in the investigation. Quoirin’s mother is from Ireland, while her father is French.
On Wednesday, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced it had opened a preliminary investigation into the teen’s death on potential charges of kidnapping and sequestration, the AP reports. No further details were provided about the probe.
More than 350 people had helped search for the teen in the days after she disappeared. After her body was discovered, her family released a statement thanking those who had come to the family’s aid.
“We thank the local people here and those far and wide for their prayers and support at this time,” they said in a statement issued by the Lucie Blackman Trust, a charity that helps British families.
The family went on to say that they were heartbroken at the news of their daughter’s death.
“Nóra is at the heart of our family. She is the truest, most precious girl and we love her infinitely. The cruelty of her being taken away is unbearable. Our hearts are broken,” they said.
The family asked for privacy as they grieve their horrific loss.
