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Nora Quoirin cops slammed by Madeleine McCann investigator who says five key blunders let Brit schoolgirl starve to death in Malaysian jungle

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COPS who led the hunt for Nora Quoirin have been slammed for making five key blunders that could have saved the teenager from starving to death in the jungle.

According to an investigator hired by the McCann family, the mistakes made by Malaysian police bear a harrowing resemblance to those made by Portuguese officers hunting for Madeleine.

 Nora Quoirin was found dead in the jungle nine days after she disappeared

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Nora Quoirin was found dead in the jungle nine days after she disappearedCredit: Lucie Blackman Trust/Family handout
 Nora with her mum Meabh, who spoke out previously saying she believes her daughter was abducted

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Nora with her mum Meabh, who spoke out previously saying she believes her daughter was abductedCredit: PA:Press Association

The naked body of 15-year-old Nora was found by a waterfall nine days after she vanished from a resort in Malaysia where she was staying with her family.

Her heartbroken family have raised questions about the hunt for the tragic teen, who had learning difficulties.

Investigator Julian Peribañez, who was hired by Kate and Gerry McCann family following Madeleine’s disappearance in Praia de Luz in May 2007, told The Sun Online Nora could have been saved.

Sloppy police work, mistreating a possible kidnapping case as a missing person, failing to conduct thorough area searches and failing to gather key evidence and witness statements could all have contributed to Nora’s death, he said.

In addition there was also pressure to protect a money-spinning tourism trade, claimed the investigator.

Had the case been treated  as a kidnapping from the outset, it would have focused minds and greatly increased the chances of her being found quickly, Peribañez argues.

“A young person is vulnerable and Nora had learning difficulties that made this case particularly important to work quickly,” he said.

“From the very first second it should be considered a kidnapping.

COPS TOO SLOW TO ACT

“If the police had identified this as a possible kidnapping then more doors would have opened and more thorough searches would have begun immediately.”

Questions have been raised over the thoroughness of the search after her body was found by a waterfall just one-mile from where she went missing.

Peribañez slammed the use of voice recordings of Nora’s mum Meabh that were played by police in the jungle and the use of local shamen as “absurd”.

“I’ve also never heard of police using a recording of the mother’s voice before. It had good intentions but it was a little absurd and unlikely to solve anything,” he said.

He also claimed the local authorities in Malaysia, as in Portugal, didn’t want to do anything to harm the tourist trade.

“It’s a British girl who has gone missing and the Madeleine McCann case is still at the forefront of everyone’s first thoughts,” he said.

“Therefore, the bad press for the resort and for the location could mean the police were pressured into talking about a missing person and not a kidnapping.”

 Police officers showing a picture of Nora

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Police officers showing a picture of NoraCredit: The Mega Agency
 A search was conducted in the jungle but failed to find her

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A search was conducted in the jungle but failed to find herCredit: AFP or licensors
 Negeri Sembilan Police Chief, Mohamad Mat Yusop told media they had ruled out foul play

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Negeri Sembilan Police Chief, Mohamad Mat Yusop told media they had ruled out foul playCredit: EPA
 Nora's body was found nine days after she went missing from a holiday resort in Malaysia

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Nora’s body was found nine days after she went missing from a holiday resort in MalaysiaCredit: Reuters

The post-mortem found Nora  succumbed to “intestinal bleeding” after wandering through the Malaysian jungle as emergency crews desperately searched for her – tragically finding her body three days after she died.

Negeri Sembilan Police Chief, Mohamad Mat Yusop, today said authorities had found no evidence of foul play despite fears the teen had been abducted and her body dumped.

And he said a post-mortem also found she had not been sexually abused.

“For the time being, there is no element of abduction or kidnapping,” said.

He added that there were some bruises on her legs but that these would not have caused her death.

“Vulnerable” Nora – who was born with the brain defect holoprosencephaly – is believed to have been dead for up to three days before being found in a spot search crews had already examined.

This means she could have been wandering through the jungle for a week as emergency services desperately searched for her after she vanished from her family’s accommodation at a holiday resort on August 4.

Nora’s parents Meabh, 45, and Sebastien, 47, had previously demanded answers about what happened to their daughter as they insisted she would never have wandered off alone.

The desperate search for Nora

August 4: Nora is reported missing after her father discovers she is not in her bedroom at the Dusun Resort at around 8am on Sunday.

The window was also open in the room that Nora had been sharing with her two siblings.

August 5: Missing persons charity The Lucie Blackman Trust says that Malaysian police are treating Nora’s disappearance as a potential abduction, but officers deny there is any foul play involved.

August 6: Nora’s family say they believe her to have been abducted.

“She never goes anywhere by herself. We have no reason to believe she wandered off and is lost.”

August 7: Police say they are analysing unidentified fingerprints an open window and in a downstairs hall  found in the family’s hotel suite.

August 9: Police investigate whether footprints found in the forest where Nora went missing belong to the missing teen. Her family say she wouldn’t have wandered off on her own.

August 10: Nora’s family thank the search teams involved since the teenager’s disappearance.

August 11: Hundreds of rescuers still involved in the search operation a week after she disappeared.

August 12: A visibly emotional Mrs Quoirin makes a further appeal for her daughter to return home.

“Nora is our first child. She has been vulnerable since the day she was born.

“She is so precious to us and our hearts are breaking. We are appealing to anyone who has information about Nora to help us find her.”

A reward of £10,000 – donated by an anonymous Belfast business – is made available for information leading to Nora’s safe return.

August 13: A body is found and police said Nora’s parents confirmed it was her .

August 14: An initial post-mortem examination inconclusive

August 15: Post-mortem finds that Nora died of intestinal bleeding after a stomach ulcer burst, probably caused by hunger and stress.

 The waterfall near where the teen's body was tragically found after more than a week searching

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The waterfall near where the teen’s body was tragically found after more than a week searching

Prior to the post-mortem findings, French prosecutors had joined the probe – as Nora’s father is French – to investigate whether the teen was kidnapped before her death.

A lawyer representing the family in France told Le Parisien that the parents had filed a complaint “for kidnapping” and were convinced her disappearance is of “criminal” origin.

The family’s spokesman Matthew Searle, of the Lucie Blackman Trust, said they still have “a large amount of questions”.

He said: “One of those questions is, has the body been there all the time or is there a criminal involvement? Was the body dumped there afterwards?”

‘WE WILL ALWAYS LOVE HER’

In a tribute to Nora, her family said:  “Nora has brought people together, especially from France, Ireland, Britain and Malaysia, united in their love and support for her and her family.

“To all our friends and family at home, we can’t thank you enough for all your love.

“Nora is at the heart of our family. She is the truest, most precious girl and we love her infinitely.

“We will always love our Nora.”

It is understood Nora had been wearing underwear when she went missing – but police said when she was found she was “completely naked”.

The officer who has been leading the hunt, Datuk Mazlan Mansor, said she was found in a stream running through a ravine, adding: “The stream was about 1.2km deep in the ravine,” he said.

A volunteer taking part in the search, Sean Yeap, revealed that the body had not been covered in any foliage.

How stomach ulcers can lead to death

When a stomach ulcer bursts – known by the medical term perforation – it can prove life-threatening.

The ulcer eats through the stomach or intestinal lining and that allows the bacteria that live in the stomach to escape and infect the lining of the abdomen – the peritoneum.

This is known as peritonitis.

Peritonitis can very quickly spread and trigger sepsis or blood poisoning, before spreading to other organs and causing organ failure.

If left untreated, it can prove fatal.

Ulcers can be caused by a range of things, from H.pylori bacteria in the digestive tract to certain medications, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen.

While it’s not a direct cause, extreme stress can make an underlying ulcer worse and make complications like perforation more likely, according to the Mayo Clinic.

 Nora's aunt Eadaoin Agnew arriving at a hospital where the teenager's body was identified by her family

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Nora’s aunt Eadaoin Agnew arriving at a hospital where the teenager’s body was identified by her familyCredit: AFP
 Meabh Quoirin had made a heartbreaking appeal for her daughter's safe return - devastated when the teen's body was found

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Meabh Quoirin had made a heartbreaking appeal for her daughter’s safe return – devastated when the teen’s body was foundCredit: AP:Associated Press

Nora’s parents visited the site where her body was found and later identified her body at the Tuanku Jaafar Hospital.

The teenager was discovered missing from her bedroom at the Dusun eco-resort in southern Negeri Sembilan state on the morning of Sunday August 4, with the window left open.

She was on “trip of a lifetime” with her family including sister Innes, 12 and brother Maurice, eight, at the time of her disappearance.

The teen had only arrived the day earlier with her parents and two siblings at the resort in a nature reserve near Seremban, 39 miles south of the capital Kuala Lumpur.

A volunteer searcher told the MailOnline Nora had told her parents she was “excited” about seeing a waterfall.

Nora’s parents are an Irish-French couple who have lived in London for about 20 years.

The Dusun is a 12-acre orchard resort next to the Berembun Forest Reserve – 4,000 acres of protected virgin forest rising to 3,900 feet.

Nearly 350 people were involved in a massive search operation that included sniffer dogs, elite commando forces and thermal detectors.

Shamans were even brought in to pray for her safe return and video footage showed them praying cross legged on the jungle floor.

Nora Quoirin post-mortem is inconclusive, cops reveal after Brit girl, 15, was found dead in Malaysian jungle
 The Dusun Resort is a 12-acre orchard resort close to the Berembun Forest Reserve in Malaysia

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The Dusun Resort is a 12-acre orchard resort close to the Berembun Forest Reserve in Malaysia
 Nora vanished from her room while on holiday in Malaysia

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Nora vanished from her room while on holiday in Malaysia
 The hospital where the postmortem examination was carried out

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The hospital where the postmortem examination was carried outCredit: AFP or licensors
 Nora's body being airlifted by helicopter from the jungle

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Nora’s body being airlifted by helicopter from the jungleCredit: Reuters
Lawyer representing Nora Quoirin’s family says her passing is highly traumatic


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