Nora Quoirin’s parents hit out at ‘unhelpful’ comments from relatives after the 15-year-old’s grandfather said ‘dark areas’ need to be cleared up and claimed someone put her body under waterfall
- Nora Quoirin’s parents have hit out at relatives for making ‘unhelpful’ comments
- Her family are concerned such comments ‘may hinder any investigations’
- They said statements will be made on their behalf by the Lucie Blackman Trust
The parents of Nora Quoirin have hit out at ‘unhelpful’ comments made by relatives after her unclothed body was found in the Malaysian jungle.
The 15-year-old was found on Tuesday by searchers, 1.6 miles away from the resort where her family had been staying on holiday, near the Lata Berembun waterfall.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the family have asked the media to only rely on comments made on their behalf by the Lucie Blackman Trust.
‘Any other comments and views are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views of the immediate family or an accurate portrayal of the facts,’ the statement said.
The parents of Nora Quoirin (Meabh, centre, and Sebastien, right) have hit out at ‘unhelpful’ comments made by relatives after her unclothed body was found in the Malaysian jungle
‘Nora’s family are concerned that continued reporting of comments such as those recently reported are unhelpful and may hinder any investigations, as well as causing confusion and distress for them.’
‘The Lucie Blackman Trust is arranging repatriation of Nora’s body and no further information concerning this, including dates or destinations, will be released at this point.’
This comes after Nora’s grandfather Sylvain Quoirin, the mayor of a small town in Burgundy, told The Mail he believes someone put Nora’s body there ‘to get rid of her’, adding: ‘She wasn’t there yet [during previous searches]. Someone put her there.’
He dismissed theories that Nora could have wandered outside on her own. He said: ‘Can you imagine her walking 2.5km, naked and barefoot, over rocks, in the middle of the night? For me, that’s absurd.’
In a statement issued on Saturday, the family have asked the media to only rely on comments made on their behalf by the Lucie Blackman Trust
Nora was reported missing on August 4. After 10 days of searching, the Malaysian search team found the teen’s naked body in a sleeping position close to a waterfall at the foot of a ravine on Berembun mountain, 1.6 miles from an eco-resort where her family were staying
Nora’s uncle Pacome Quoirin, a graphic designer, added: ‘How could she have survived for five days in the jungle without food or water, if you believe the theory that she left the hotel on her own? We remain very dubious.
‘The findings that were announced in no way discredit a criminal act. She could have been kidnapped and fed at the beginning. There is insufficient evidence to jump to definitive conclusions.’
Nora was reported missing on August 4 during a family holiday to Malaysia after her parents woke to find a window to their apartment open and their daughter gone.
After 10 days of searching, the Malaysian search team found the teen’s naked body in a sleeping position close to a waterfall at the foot of a ravine on Berembun mountain, 1.6 miles from an eco-resort where her family were staying.
The ravine where she was found – just 1.6 miles from the lodge – was repeatedly combed by rescue teams during the first seven days of her disappearance.
Malaysian police have been unable to adequately explain why she was missed.
The fact that she was found naked when it was thought she left the family apartment wearing underwear raised the prospect she had been kidnapped and dumped.
But it now appears that she wandered off into the jungle and got lost before succumbing to starvation. It is not clear what happened to her clothes.
Her parents are not ruling out the possibility she was abducted and are waiting for the results of DNA and toxicology tests before pursuing a criminal probe, despite police believing otherwise.