SEREMBAN, Oct 2 — Sniffer dogs from the Fire and Rescue Department failed to pick up the scent of Irish-French teen Nora Anne Quoirin in the dense jungle near the resort where she had gone missing in August last year, the Coroner’s Court heard today.
Fire and Rescue Department K9 Detection Unit handler Jackson Ringkai Gawan said his Labrador Retriever sniffer dog failed to detect the girl’s scent during a three-days search at The Dusun resort between August 5 and August 7.
“I started my search at 10.30am on August 5 and my sniffer dog did not react positively up until August 7,” the 18th witness in the inquest told Coroner Maimoonah Aid.
Jackson Ringkai also confirmed that he was provided with a cloth belonging to the victim by the girl’s mother to assist in his search but was unsure what kind of cloth it was.
When asked by Quoirin’s lawyer, S. Sakthyvell on whether the dog was taking the lead by leading him to a potential finding or just searching, Jackson Ringkai replied that he was instead trailing the dog as it continued searching without any positive indications.
When asked how his sniffer dog would react if it managed to positively detect something, Jackson Ringkai said his dog would stand his ground, stare and start barking if it reacted positively in a search.
Later, Jackson Ringkai’s testimony was also corroborated by Fire and Rescue Department K9 Detection Unit handler Ajat Menang who also obtained similar findings during the same period.
Ajat, who handled a Border Collie sniffer dog, testified he too failed to obtained positive leads from his sniffer dog between August 5 until August 7.
Like all other sniffer dogs and their reaction to a potential find, Ajat said his dog would pull its leash towards the said finding, bark and wag its tail quickly.
“Throughout the three-day search, the dog did not show any reaction but was walking ordinarily,” he said.
He also testified that he received instructions to retrace Jackson Ringkai’s search route on the second and third days of their search for the missing girl to ensure no stones were left unturned.
Previously in court, three police K9 unit dog handlers said their dogs were unable to latch onto a definite scent trail of the girl throughout the search-and-rescue operation which spanned over 10 days.
Quoirin, a 15-year-old with physical and learning difficulties, disappeared from The Dusun 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 about 1.5km from the jungle retreat and an autopsy found that she likely died of internal bleeding linked to starvation after spending about a week in the dense rainforest.
The hearing resumes October 19.
