SEREMBAN: Missing Irish teen Nora Quoirin is believed to have left her room at a resort, near here, on her own.
Negri Sembilan police chief Datuk Mohamad Mat Yusop said this was based on information provided by Quoirin’s sister, who had found one of the windows in the room open on Sunday morning.
He denied that police had classified the case as an abduction.
Mohamad said it was too early for police to conclude that the 15-year-old had been abducted or kidnapped.
“A search of the girl’s room at the resort did not turn up any evidence of a criminal element in her disappearance. The victim’s sister noticed that one of the windows in the room was opened on the morning she went missing, and believes Nora had gone out the window herself.
“The case is being treated as a missing person case. We deny reports in the foreign media linking this case to any criminal element or abduction,” he said at a press conference called specifically yo address the issue.
News of Quoirin's disappearance went viral on Sunday, with several individuals, believed to be relatives, taking to Twitter to appeal to the public for help in locating her.
It is understood that Quoirin, who has a learning disability, arrived in Negri Sembilan with her family on Aug 3, for a two-week holiday.
The teenager, however, was found missing on Sunday morning by family members, prompting the resort's management and authorities, including a platoon from the General Operations Force based in Cheras, to launch an immediate search operation to find her.
A charity based in Britain, The Lucie Blackman Trust, had reportedly issued a media statement claiming that police were investigating the case as an abduction.
In a statement reported by international media, Matthew Searle, chief executive of the overseas crisis support group, had said that Quoirin could have been a victim of a serious crime.
Mohamad said, as of 7pm, police have yet to find any indication as to the teen's whereabouts.
“The search and rescue operation continues... at 8am tomorrow, we will be adding more personnel and we will have a helicopter from the Police Air Unit joining in the search,” he said.
Mohamad said police believe the teenager was still in the vicinity of the resort and urged the public and the media not to spread false news.
“If they have information, pass it on to the police. Our men have never issued a statement saying the teenager was taken away as reported by the foreign media citing sources from Malaysian police,” he said.