The Coroner’s Court was told today that 24 hours after Nora Anne Quoirin disappeared on Aug 5 last year, her family told the police that they suspected she had been abducted, and urged them to inspect three houses, one of which was thought to be where the teenager was located.
Nilai district police chief Superintendent Mohd Nor Marzukee Besar, the third witness in the inquest proceedings to determine the cause of death of the 15-year-old, said all three houses were located outside The Dusun Resort area.
Nora Anne and her family checked in at the resort after their arrival in Malaysia on Aug 3, 2019 for a two-week vacation.
“Nora Anne’s family members believed their missing daughter to be in the surrounding area. I asked the Criminal Investigation Departments of the Negri Sembilan police contingent headquarters and the Nilai district police headquarters (IPD) to search the three houses,” he said when testifying at the inquest which entered its second day, today.
When asked by deputy public prosecutor Muhamad Iskandar Ahmad why the inspection was only specific to three houses, he said it was requested by the family.
The search for the teenager intensified as the clock ticked, with the operation involving two teams around the resort area covering 4.85 hectares (12 acres), in addition to roadblocks.
“I was informed by the family that the missing teenager could not walk more than 20 feet (six metres). I thought the search area of 12 acres was sufficient based on this information.
“Considering the physical condition and the thinking capacity of the victim, which was that of a 7-year-old child, I took the initiative to put up roadblocks thinking that she might hitch a ride in a vehicle or motorcycle out of the area.
“With these restrictions in place, we would be able to prevent her from leaving the area under the administration of the Nilai (IPD),” he said.
The court was also told that the search, which was carried out as soon as the teenager was reported missing, involved an area of 250 metres around the villa where the victim and her family stayed.
During the proceeding, the court was also shown a map of The Dusun Resort on a screen projector, as well as sketches of two roadblocks that were mounted, drawn by Mohd Nor Marzukee.
Yesterday, the Coroner’s Court was told that a window in the teenager’s villa could be opened from the outside due to a faulty latch.
The matter was informed by the second witness Haanim Ahmed Bamadhaj who is the manager of The Dusun Resort.
“Even a child can open the latch and the front door,” she said in response to Coroner’s Maimoonah question whether the window was light or otherwise and whether it could be opened by children.
Haanim, who is in Berlin now, testified via teleconference.
She also said that there were no surveillance cameras within the premises of the resort, explaining that minimum security was employed out of respect for the privacy of its guests and to enable their enjoyment of the lush green space.
“At the time, CCTVs were not installed. However, we always had somebody nearby the compound to keep watch.
“We do not have guards with torchlights walking around and there is also no security posted at the two access gates,” she said.
Despite the bare minimum in security detail, Haanim told the court that her resort had no reports of crime for the past 30 years since it was opened in 1984.
According to Haanim, The Dusun could accommodate a maximum of 20 people at a time in six units spread across its 12-acre plot of land.
She said most, if not all, of the six units in the resort which she described as bungalows, were designed with an open concept.
She added that the resort itself is styled as a self-catering nature retreat and is not a regular hotel.
Haanim also recalled how she first came to meet Nora Anne and her parents, Meabh Quoirin and Sebastian Quoirin, on August 3, 2019, when the family checked into The Dusun.
“I was at the parking lot on August 3 and I saw Nora Anne’s family just getting off their ride. They looked exhausted, but I did not notice any child who was disabled at that time,” Haanim said, adding that she did not speak much to the family.
Haanim told the court that the window latches in some of the bungalows could not be latched properly and broke quite often. She said it was a problem that had persisted for a period of time.
She said the windows could be pulled inwards to close, but could not be locked.
When asked if said windows such be kept shut at all times, Haanim said it would be discouraging as the windows actually allowed the free flow of air inside the units for better ventilation and cooling purposes.
“Usually it is not kept shut because it is very uncomfortable when it gets warm since the houses are not equipped with an air-conditioning system,” she replied.
Asked by the coroner, Haanim said she could not remember the last time the malfunctioning windows were inspected.
Haanim also told the inquest she did not hear anything suspicious on August 3, 2019, the day Nora Anne disappeared. She said her pet dog would usually bark loudly at the slightest of movements.
Haanim said she only received a phone call at 9am on August 4, 2019, from the teen’s mother informing her of Nora Anne’s disappearance.
“When Nora Anne’s younger sibling woke up at 7am, he noticed Nora Anne was gone but assumed that she was downstairs with their parents.
“Only by 8.30am, the family realised Nora Anne was truly missing. I made my way to the parking lot and thought it would be better to lodge a police report,” she said.
Haani also recalled Meabh telling her that Nora Anne had the mental capacity of a child despite being an adolescent and that she would hide whenever she got scared.
Subsequent to her police report filed on August 4, 2019, Haanim said search and rescue operations were activated on the same day; the Fire and Rescue Department was the first to arrive at the retreat, followed by the police and the Malaysia Civil Defence Force.
Negeri Sembilan police chief Datuk Mohamad Mat Yusop who was the first witness told the inquest that his observation on the window in the room found that the latch was faulty.
“Nilai district police chief Supt Mohd Nor Marzukee Besar informed me that the missing person came out of the window and therefore, I went to the window to inspect it,” he said.
Mohamad said this in response to a question from the deputy public prosecutor who is also the inquest coordinating officer, Muhamad Iskandar Ahmad, on how he knew about the window.
During the proceedings, the court was physically shown the window as well as a picture of its location in the villa.
“I am confident the window shown in this court is the window I saw.
“I am not sure if the handle was damaged (either) due to the investigation process carried out or before that,” said Mohamad.
Earlier, Mohamad described the search and rescue (SAR) operation for Nora Anne as one of the biggest ever launched during his service in the force.
Mohamad said the search operation for teenager saw the involvement of the most number of government agencies.
It included the Federal Police, Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM), Malaysian Civil Defence Force, Malaysian Volunteers Agency (RELA), General Operations Force as well as the federal government providing assistance.
“The search operation for Nora Anne was among the largest land operations that we (Police) had ever carried out because it involved many agencies.
“So many assets were mobilised to find the missing teen, including the Sniffer Dog Unit.
“We also received cooperation and support from Bukit Aman and the Federal Government, as well as parties skilled in search and rescue,” he said.
He said they were satisfied with the coordinating team and the search team looking for Nora Anne.
Mohamad, who followed the daily developments closely, said the search team ensured that no stone was left unturned in the search areas.
“I instructed that the search be conducted thoroughly so that no area was left unchecked,” he said.
Mohamad said on Aug 13, 2019, at about 4pm, he received information on Nora Anne’s body being discovered some 1km from the resort where she was staying with her family.
He said the teen’s body was retrieved with the use of a helicopter before the remains were taken to the Tuanku Jaafar Hospital (HTJ) in Seremban for a post-mortem.
“Based on the (post-mortem) report, the body was found to be in a good condition, there were no injuries on her body and she was not clothed.
“The results of the autopsy conducted by the HTJ Forensic Department found that there was no criminal element involved in the teen’s death, but rather she died of gastrointestinal bleeding due to prolonged stress and hunger.
The inquest proceedings will run for two weeks until Aug 28, before resuming on Sept 1 to 4, before coroner Maimoonah Aid.
A total of 64 witnesses will be called to testify to assist in the investigation.
The body of Nora Anne was found near a creek in a ravine, about 2.5km from the resort on Aug 13.
Preliminary surgical reports stated that the death of the teenager who was a person with a disability, had no criminal element, and that she was confirmed dead from gastrointestinal bleeding due to prolonged hunger and stress.