SEREMBAN, August 24 — There were no signs of criminal elements in the disappearance of Irish-French youth Nora Anne Quoirin during the early stages of the investigation, a witness told the Coroner Court here today.

Testifying as the first witness at the inquest proceedings to determine the cause of death of Nora Quoirin, Negeri Sembilan police chief Deputy Commissioner Datuk Mohamad Mat Yusop said this was based on his own observation and initial briefings provided by senior police officers on the ground at The Dusun Resort, Kampung Baru Pantai on August 5, 2019.

“At the time of the incident and based on information I obtained, I did not come across any issues in a suspicious manner in regards to this missing person case. 

“I believe that the disappearance was caused by the victim’s own intention to exit the house,” he testified before Coroner Maimoonah Aid. 

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When asked to clarify his testimony, Mohamad pointed out that authorities did not receive any sort of phone calls for ransom to suggest Nora Anne was kidnapped or abducted.

However, Mohamad said he had nonetheless instructed the contingent’s Criminal Investigation Department to conduct their probe simultaneously with the ongoing search for Nora Anne.

Throughout Mohamad’s testimony, he was asked by the court to recall the sequence of events from the day the police report was filed until the day Nora Anne’s body was found by search party rescuers on August 13, 2019.

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Mohamad also told the court how he was informed of the teen’s disappearance on August 4, 2019 after a missing persons report was filed and immediately ordered a search operation to be conducted.

Explaining the sequence of events, Mohamad said he was resting at home when he came across a WhatsApp message sent by the Nilai police chief Superintendent Mohd Nor Marzukee Besar informing of a missing persons incident which had taken place at the resort on August 4, 2019.

He also recalled how he had personally met with Nora Anne’s father, Sebastien Quoirin at the resort where the girl had gone missing the next day on August 5, 2019.

“They (the family) looked distraught over the girl’s disappearance.

“At that time, I assured the girl’s father that it was my responsibility as the state police chief to find the missing girl with all available resources when a missing persons report has been filed,” he said.

A large projector screen was also set up in court to display court exhibits including images of the resort and the bungalow where the family stayed.

A dismantled window frame from the resort’s bungalow unit where Nora Anne had disappeared from was also brought to court for identification purposes.

In today’s proceeding, Nora Anne’s family was represented by lawyer S. Sakthyvell while senior federal counsel Muhamad Iskandar Ahmad was the conducting officer.

Nora Anne, a 15-year-old with learning difficulties, disappeared from the resort last year where she was staying with her London-based family, triggering a 10-day hunt involving helicopters, sniffer dogs and hundreds of searchers.

Her body was discovered close to the jungle retreat and an autopsy found that she probably starved and died of internal bleeding after spending about a week in the dense rainforest.

The proceedings will last for two weeks from August 24 to 28 and will continue from September 1 to 4.

A total of 64 witnesses will be called to testify to assist in the investigation.