[UPDATED] Jenkins case: coroner's court delivers open verdict

GEORGE TOWN – The coroner’s court has delivered an open verdict into the sudden death of Australian Annapuranee Jenkins.

Coroner Norsalha Hamzah said the lengthy inquest failed to establish a conclusive outcome to the case, hence she could only at best reach such a decision.

She read a brief statement in court here.

Norsalha said the case was investigated from the perspective of a missing person’s report.

It was later reclassified as sudden death when partial skeletal remains found at a construction site were proven to have belonged to Jenkins.

“It was difficult to pinpoint the actual cause of death and if there are criminal elements involved.”

Jenkins went missing on December 17, 2017 en route to visit her now deceased mother at the Little Sisters of the Poor nursing home in Batu Lanchang.

Her partial skeletal remains were found at a construction site near the Penang Turf Club, not far from where she apparently asked the ride sharing driver to drop her off.

The first oddity in the case is that the 66-year-old had demanded to exit her ride-sharing vehicle midway at Scotland Road, near the Ramakrishna Orphanage, where she was last seen alive.

The initial police report, lodged by her husband Frank Jenkins of Adelaide, led to speculations of possible kidnapping by a Ukrainian who wanted her passport.

One of the several investigating officers dismissed this, testifying that there was allegedly no evidence to support a kidnapping bid.

A second point of interest was an unverified diary jotting that implied Jenkins, called “Anna” by her family, wanted to leave her family for unspecified reasons.

A third point of intrigue is that part of the remains was first buried by the worker’s supervisor without any report being lodged, as it is “common” for building contractors to uncover human or animal remains when clearing land.

This was followed by other contradictory testimonials on Jenkins’ death. – The Vibes, May 12, 2023