Irish Girl With Special Needs Missing In Malaysia Since 4 Aug
15-year-old Nóra Anne Quoirin was on holiday with her family in Malaysia when she vanished without a trace.
The London schoolgirl, who has special needs, has been missing since the early hours of Sunday (4 Aug), sparking a massive nationwide search.
British charity the Lucie Blackman Trust, Malaysian authorities and even the Orang Asli community have been roped in to help.
Family was on holiday in Seremban
Nóra, her parents, and two siblings came to Malaysia from London for a holiday, staying at The Dusun resort near Seremban, about an hour away from Kuala Lumpur (KL).
They had checked in at around 7am on Saturday (3 Aug) and spent the day together till everyone went to bed that night.
When they woke up early the next morning however, Nóra’s parents were shocked to find their daughter missing.
They alerted the resort management at about 8am, after finding the window in Nóra’s room open, according to a press release by Lucie Blackman Trust.
Irish special needs girl wouldn’t leave her family voluntarily
Nóra’s aunt explained that her niece “has learning and developmental disabilities which make her especially vulnerable.”
Since she wouldn’t know how to get help, Nóra would never leave her family’s side of her own accord.
Her disappearance, especially in a remote location such as where the resort is, has become a major cause for concern.
Appeal for help in nationwide search
Apart from the press release by Lucie Blackman Trust, Nóra’s uncle, Mr Dominic Graham, has also posted a Facebook appeal, which has garnered over 12,000 shares at the time of writing.
Of course, relying on public help alone isn’t enough, so Malaysian authorities have taken charge and launched a nationwide search.
No holds were barred, as search and rescue operations were engaged in full force on Monday (5 Aug), with the following units on active duty:
- A platoon from the General Operations Force (GOF) base in Cheras
- Police, with the canine team, & Air Wing Unit supplying search helicopters
- Fire and Rescue Services Department
- Civil Defence
- Rela and Forestry Department personnel
- The Orang Asli community
While some reports suggest that she may have been abducted due to her unnatural disappearance, Malaysian police propose otherwise.
State police chief DCP Datok Mohamad Mat Yusop claimed they are treating it as a missing person’s case, as there are no signs pointing to a crime yet. They strongly believe that she’s still in the area.
Hope she’ll be found safe & reunited with her family
It’s been over 2 days now since Nóra went missing, and her family are undoubtedly worried sick.
With all hands on deck in search for her however, we truly hope that she’ll be found safe and sound, so she can be reunited with her loved ones.
Feature image adapted from Facebook and Google Maps.
