A 15-Year-Old British Girl Is Missing in Malaysia

Fifteen-year-old Nora Quoirin and her family arrived at a resort in Seremban, 39 miles south of Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur, on August 3. The next morning, her father woke up to find Nora’s bedroom window open and Nora nowhere to be found.

The Dusun Resort, where the family was staying, occupies an area of approximately 4.8 hectares. It is situated next to the Berembun Forest Reserve, a 1,619-hectare expanse. Nora was reportedly sharing a room with both her brother and sister.

Her family believes she was abducted, The Guardian reported. In a statement, they said there is “no reason to believe she wandered off and is lost.” They are particularly concerned because of Nora’s known learning and development disabilities.

Malaysian police, however, are conducting the search based on that theory—that Nora got lost. The incident is officially being regarded as a missing persons case and officials have denied that it is a case of abduction. Police say it is too early to consider it as such.

Their search team of about 180 people has spread to the forest which surrounds the resort and a nearby river. Villagers are taking part in the search, while some who live in the town are being questioned for any information that can shed light on where Nora could be found. A police canine team is also present.

Bali anak Akau, a villager who is a part of the search team, said, “Natives like me, we are used to this jungle.” He emphasized the difficulty a foreigner could encounter when attempting to navigate the area.

The Dusun Resort has welcomed visitors for ten years. A spokeswoman for the resort, Haanim Bamadhaj, said that they have “never even been robbed” since their opening. The resort’s CCTV footage is limited to certain areas of the locale and did not capture Nora’s disappearance.

Aisling Agnew, Nora’s aunt, started a GoFundMe page to garner support and urge people in the area to join the search. Most of the funds will allegedly help family members from across Europe to fly to Malaysia. As of now, the page has received about $43,000 in donations. People who contributed to the fundraiser posted messages of prayers and concern.

Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs is allegedly “providing consular assistance” to the Quoirins. The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs had the French consul in Malaysia travel to Seremban to support the family and “coordinate with the local authorities.” Nora's parents are Irish-French and were traveling on an Irish passport.

In April 2019, the United States flagged Malaysia as a part of the “K” list: one of the 35 countries with a high risk of kidnapping. Other countries on this list included the Philippines, Bangladesh, Syria, and Sudan. Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs “strongly” protested against their country’s inclusion on the list.

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