GEORGE TOWN – A dental specialist told the inquest into the mysterious death of Australian grandmother Annapuranee Jenkins that the tooth fragments found at a construction site could not be conclusively determined as belonging to the victim.
Besides the discovery of partial skeletal remains at the site, three fragments of teeth were also found at the site metres away from the Penang Turf Club in Batu Gantong.
Penang Hospital dental specialist Dr Noraliza Mohd Nor said teeth identification is usually done by comparing the sample with a healthy tooth of the deceased.
But due to the state of decomposition, no comparisons were possible.
The odontologist informed the inquest that Annapuranee’s 16-year-old dental records, which were sourced from her private dentist in Penang, were not able to help her identify if the teeth found at the site had indeed belonged to the 67-year-old Adelaide resident.
“The insufficient data makes it impossible for me to determine that these teeth are indeed hers,” she told the inquest presided by coroner Norsalha Hamzah.
“We need a healthy tooth to make a comparison to determine the age,” she told deputy public prosecutor Farah Aimy Zainul Anwar who asked about the age of the teeth.
Khairul Anuar Abdul Halim, the Penang prosecution director, then asked Noraliza if dental clinics were required by law to have accurate records.
The witness then nodded, saying it was legally required for clinics to keep diagnostic information and other records accurately.
The Jenkins’ family counsel, S. Raveentharan, asked if these teeth could have been damaged as a result of being buried and subjected to corrosive elements.
Norliza said that human teeth have great resistance to environmental effects, saying that a pair of teeth from World War II, if unearthed, could be found in good condition.
Annapuranee went missing after she alighted from a ride-sharing car along the notoriously busy Scotland Road on December 13, 2017.
Her remains were later found at a construction site near the Penang Turf Club in 2020, following which an inquest by the coroner’s court was established to determine the cause of death in one of the most baffling crime cases to have emerged in Penang.
Annapuranee was visiting her mother here when she went missing, and it was three years before her partial remains were uncovered by a construction worker.
Annapuranee was married to Frank Francis Jenkins, who was then an officer with the Royal Australian Air Force in Penang. She had relocated to Adelaide with him.
The inquest stood down today and will commence from January 17 to 20 next year when five more witnesses, including a geologist, will be called to testify.
Outside the court, Jenkins’ son Gregory Steven Jenkins and his sister Jen, together with Adelaide politician Frank Pangallo were present, and said they were unhappy with the criticism of the family by a government pathologist.
They were referring to the testimony of Penang Hospital forensic chief pathologist Dr Amir Saad Abdul Rahim, who said Annapuranee's remains were packed and handed to the family according to procedure.
This testimony was in response to Gregory’s claim that he was told to “break the bones of his mother so they could fit into a jar”.
The procedure, according to Dr Amir Saad, was to pack the remains in a cardboard box.
Gregory’s sister Jen said that this showed a lack of compassion and that the family could not be sure if the remains were really that of their mother.
“We had to rely on tests that we knew would be carried out with respect and integrity in South Australia, so that we would know undoubtedly and unfortunately that this was our mother,” she said. – The Vibes, October 21, 2022
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