Body found is confirmed as Streatham teen missing in Malaysia

A charity helping the family has confirmed the body found in Malaysia this morning was that of missing teenager Nora Quoirin.

The discovery comes a day after the 15-year-old’s devastated family offered a reward of 50,000 MYR (approximately £10,000) for information which would help find the 15-year-old, from Streatham

Nora, whose family go to St Bede’s Church in Clapham Park, had special needs and vanished from the Dusan resort in Malaysia on Sunday August 5.

A statement this morning from the Lucie Blackman Trust, which has been supporting the family throughout, said: “The Lucie Blackman Trust can confirm with great sadness that the body found today is that of missing teenager Nora Quoirin. Local police have confirmed identification.

“The charity will update as soon as possible. Please respect the family and do not approach them at this difficult time.

“All at The Lucie Blackman Trust are thinking of the family and continue to support them as they come to terms with this news.

“Investigations are underway to confirm the cause of death.”

Police in Malaysia had been using specialist teams, with 250 officers, to try and find her.

The family, including Nóra’s Irish-French parents, and her younger brother and sister, arrived at the resort near Seremban, about 40 miles south of Kuala Lumpur, on Saturday August 4.

Her father raised the alarm the following morning when Nora was missing from her bedroom, with the window open.

Police chief Datuk Mohamad Mat Yusop said it was believed Nora had climbed out of the window.

Her family said yesterday: “Nora is our first child. She has been vulnerable since the day she was born. She is so precious to us and our hearts are breaking. We are appealing to anyone who has information about Nora to help us find her.

“The police have been working extremely hard to bring Nora home. In order to help their investigation, we have decided to offer a reward: 50,000R has been donated by an anonymous Belfast-based business for any information that directly helps us to find Nora.

Her parents said she would need a lot of care, whoever she was with. She could wash and dress herself, but she could not manage buttons, and struggled to wash her hair.

Nóra was born with holoprosencephaly – she had a smaller brain. She needed operations to help her breathing in her early life. The teenager had always needed dedicated specialist schooling.

A statement from her family yesterday said: “Nóra is a very special person. She is fun, funny, and extremely loving. With her family, she is very affectionate – family is her whole world and she loves to play games, like Cat Bingo, with us. She likes to tell us silly jokes and wear clever, colourful t-shirts. She is not like other teenagers. She is not independent and does not go anywhere alone.

“Nóra and her family are bi-lingual and bi-cultural. Nóra is very proud that she can speak French as well as English. But her verbal communication is limited. Nóra can read like a young child, but she cannot write more than a few words. She has a good memory but she cannot understand anything conceptual.

“She is unable to do maths and so things like money are impossible to manage. She cannot make or receive phonecalls independently.

“At school, she is learning to ride a bicycle properly. Nóra likes to walk with her family, but her balance is limited and she struggles with coordination. She has been to Asia, and many European countries before, and has never wandered off or got lost.

“Nóra is very sensitive. Outside the family, Nóra is very shy and can be quite anxious. Every night, her special time is for cuddles and a night-time story with her Mum. And she was extremely excited about the family holiday in Malaysia.”