‘Nora, my love, mum’s here’: Recording of mother’s voice used insearch for missing teen

A recording of Nora Quoirin’s mother saying “Nora, my love, mum’s here” is being used by police searching for the missing London teenager in the Malaysian jungle.

The search effort for 15-year-old Nora, who has been missing since Sunday, now includes more than 200 people, as well as a helicopter, drones and dogs and indigenous tribespeople famed for their forest tracking skills.

The recordings are being played out by search teams combing the dense forest surrounding the Dusun eco-resort where the family has been on holiday.

Negeri Sembilan state police chief Mohamad Mat Yusop said the technique had been used in other cases and added that his officers are “not giving up hope yet, our teams are still in high spirits”.

Sky’s South East Asia producer Rachel Thompson confirmed the recording is her mother, Meabh Quoirin, saying: “Nora, my love, mum’s here.”

But Thompson, who went out with one of the search teams combing a river bed on Thursday, cautioned that the group “didn’t have loudspeakers and didn’t know about the recording”.

They were, however “calling out her name as they searched,” she said.

Police Superintendent Mohd Nor Marzukee Bin Besar said he hoped it will “jump start” Nora to respond if she hears it.

“If she is exhausted or unconscious, if she has managed to find water and is awake, we hope the voice will alert her,” he added.

On Thursday, Mr Yusop said they are investigating “all angles” in Nora’s disappearance, two days after her family said they believed she had been abducted.

“So far we are still treating this as a missing person’s… but we look at every angle of the investigation,” he said.

Asked by a reporter when it might be changed, either after 10 or 15 days, Mr Yusop replied: “Depends. We are not sure.”

The police chief said that how long they can keep searching “depends on the investigation”, insisting they had sufficient money and resources.

Nora’s family have said they remain hopeful after officers leading the investigation refused to rule out a “criminal element”.

The teenager, who has learning and developmental disabilities, disappeared from the Dusun forest eco-resort in southern Negeri Sembilan state.

Her family released a statement expressing their “deepest gratitude” to the Royal Malaysia Police and others helping the search.

The force has analysed fingerprints found in a resort cottage from which Nora was reported missing, despite previously saying there were no initial signs of foul play.

Her parents Meabh and Sebastien, an Irish-French couple, were “too upset to speak themselves” but have issued a statement through the Lucie Blackman Trust charity, which helps crisis-struck British nationals overseas.

The family’s statement said: “We would like to thank our embassies, the local community, and the staff here at the hotel and anyone else who has offered help to find Nora.

“We also welcome the assistance of the French, British and Irish police.

“We are completely overwhelmed by the support we have received from all over the world.”

The statement added: “This is extremely traumatic for the whole family.”

They arrived at the resort, which is about 40 miles south of Kuala Lumpur, with Nora and her younger brother and sister on Saturday.

Their statement added: “We must remain hopeful.

“And we ask everyone to keep Nora in their thoughts, and to continue to support the ongoing search for her.

“Nora is still missing, and she is very vulnerable, and we need to do everything we can to bring her home.”

Deputy police chief Che Zakaria Othman said police have received the laboratory results of fingerprint samples taken from the Quoirin family’s accommodation.

Investigations are still ongoing to identify who the fingerprints belong to.

He said the prints were at an open window in a downstairs hall, not in the bedroom upstairs where Nora was sleeping with her siblings.

Police added they were “not ruling out any possibility” and believe Nora is still in the area.

(c) Sky News 2019: ‘Nora, my love, mum’s here’: Recording of mother’s voice used insearch for missing teen