After a 10 day search, sadly – but predictably – 15-year-old Nora Quoirin’s body has been found. It’s the ambit of this site to find answers, and while we are compassionate to what happened to poor Nora, it also matters what happened and who was involved. There are a few things that stood out from the very beginning, and a few aspects that are abundantly clear now. Let’s go through them.

I have a feeling the #McCann case and the #NoraQuoirin case have a lot in common, not because it involves an "abducted " daughter, but because it doesn't. https://t.co/GJHgY5CKJn — Nick van der Leek (@HiRezLife) August 13, 2019

MADELEINE MCCANN PART 2

The speed at which the parents – both parents – were absolutely convinced there was an abduction, without any evidence, and without any confirmation or reinforcement from the police, was the first red flag. Now it’s one thing if the police are convinced [and have good reason] to speculate in one direction or another, it’s a different kettle of fish when those closest to the victim are making unsubstantiated claims.

One of the first unsubstantiated claims was that Nora was implied to have exited the bungalow through her own bedroom window. But this is what the upstairs bedroom looks like:

Curiously, this “clue” didn’t come from the parents, but was apparently “leaked” by one of the siblings.

We see early on that the local law enforcement was quickly pressured by the views of the family that an abduction had taken place. The police were adamant that it wasn’t, but later deferred to the family, and to pressure from international media, that an abduction or kidnapping was possible. As a result, core search teams were split into a local contingent [searching the forests and jungles] and another group to check the nearby towns and settlements for any suspicious leads. We can see how this external pressure was already twisting the focus of the investigation away from the potential crime scene.

Further familiarity with the inside of the bungalow seemed to confirm the idea of both an abduction and the child wandering off as unlikely. Firstly because the imputed abductor left no clues whatsoever, and secondly because with Nora’s limited faculties, it’s unlikely she would be able to negotiate a foreign spiral staircase at night. Bear in mind Nora was unable to do up her own buttons, and had spatial difficulty. Her particular condition is as a result of the two hemispheres of her brain not separating properly.

It took a while before the family provided details on exactly what Nora’s developmental difficulties were. It turned out to be holoprosencephaly, a rare congenital brain malformation.

The family and the Malaysian authorities were immediately at cross-purposes, which was highlighted in the media. The speed at which the case gained attention was also due to the Quoirin family having spokespeople reading statements prepared by the girl’s mother, and others fundraising abroad, on their behalf.

When Nora’s parents did speak it was to thank the police for their investigation, even though the police hadn’t completed the investigation. Nora’s mother also said right at the end, “We hope you find Nora” not “we hope we find Nora”. In terms of the optics of the video below, Nora’s father initially appears out of site of the camera, peeks round, then stands showing support, but does so a little stiffly. His wife doesn’t acknowledge him and he doesn’t say anything to the media.

Although this is by no means a scientific comment to make, although the parents say the right things, there’s no obvious sign of being overwhelmed by emotion, as one might expect. There are no tears, and of the parents, the husband seems partically emotionless. In light of the fact that he was shouting emotionally at the resort manager earlier, this mismatch is a potential flag.

The video below presents the same press conference as above, but this time showing the father as well. Notice how hyper-vigilant he is, eyes darting around, but once again not needing to say or express anything. There also seems to be very little rapport between husband and wife.

There are other similarities to the McCann case, such as the early anger directed at the Malaysian authorities for taking too long to respond.

ABUNDANTLY CLEAR NOW

These are the undisputed facts according to The Telegraph:

Her naked body was found in a ravine in the forest surrounding the resort, following a 350-person search involving police, volunteer hikers and even shamans. National deputy police chief Mazlan Mansor told reporters at a press conference that a body that “resembles Nora” had been found beside a small stream about 1.6 miles from the resort. He said the body was unclothed but declined to comment on whether it had any injuries. The body was taken to hospital by helicopter where it was identified.

We know that Nora’s body was 1) in an inaccessible area 2) 1.6 miles from the resort. Both of these disqualify an innocent explanation, ie that Nora “wandered off”. Her parents have been firm that Nora would never have wandered off, and this assertion may well come back to haunt them.

I understand it to mean she was found unclothed. She left in her night clothes and bare feet. If there was fast flowing water over her, after a few days it could have removed flimsy clothing. — Nick van der Leek (@HiRezLife) August 13, 2019

The fact that the area was inaccessible even to search crews, and took 10 days of searching to find, is indicative that Nora herself probably didn’t get there on her own. The fact that it required a helicopter and winch to recover her remains, reinforces the notion that someone may have gone to some trouble to hide her body.

The scenario that Nora wandered off and got into trouble isn’t impossible at this point, just unlikely. Over a period of time obviously she could have wandered further and further and got more and more lost, but one imagines had she been in distress she would have cried out, and had she been alive for even one day, she would have been found.

As the details of her condition and her dependence on her parents becomes clearer we ought to move closer to addressing “why” and what happened. The operant family dynamics will play a crucial role in illuminating this case.

See how important family information + dynamics are? >>>#NoraQuoirin Hours before her body was found, volunteer Shirley Yap said she was setting off to search around the waterfall having been told the missing girl was “excited” to see the attraction. https://t.co/3nqxMrXEoh — Nick van der Leek (@HiRezLife) August 13, 2019