GEORGE TOWN – Francis James Jenkins, husband of Annapuranee Jenkins who vanished in Penang in 2017 before her partial remains were found three years later at a construction site, died yesterday.
Despite the persistent efforts of his children Jennifer and Steven Greg to pursue what happened to their mother, Annapuranee’s disappearance remains a cold case after a coroner’s court ruled an open verdict since there was no strong evidence to indicate how she went missing.
It also hampered the court’s ability to determine the cause of death.
Jennifer and Greg believe their beloved mother was murdered, and both seek a revision of the inquest's verdict through the high court.
Francis, a former Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) officer, died peacefully at the age of 84 at a care facility for the elderly in Adelaide.
Better known as Frank, he had suffered various ailments including dementia since Annapuranee went missing mysteriously before her remains were found some 2km from where she was reportedly last seen in Scotland Road here,
Apart from battling breast and prostate cancer, he also experienced a traumatic stress disorder and depression following her disappearance.
It is understood that both his children will continue their struggle to seek justice for their mother.
The case hit the limelight due to media attention it has received from both the Malaysian and Australian media and public such that even Australia’s high commissioner to Malaysia Dr Justin Lee was present in court to hear the coroner's verdict.
Among the facts of the case was that Annapuranee had informed Francis that she was heading for a dentist appointment before visiting her now deceased mother at the Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Infirm in Batu Lanchang December 17, 2017, which was a Sunday.
The couple, who live in Adelaide, were visiting Penang where Annapuranee was raised. The elderly couple were staying at the Jen Hotel here when Annapuranee, aged 65, took a ride-sharing service to the dentist.
After the treatment concluded, she was booked on another ride-sharing service to the home for the aged, but she never made it there.
Instead, the ride-sharing driver told the police that the grandmother of two suddenly asked him to stop the vehicle midway through the journey before she exited near the Ramakrishna Ashram along Scotland Road.
She was last seen alive there apparently.
Her remains were unearthed at a bungalow construction site next to the Penang Turf Club, some 2kms from that point. – The Vibes, June 21, 2023
