Family devastated as inquest hears builders who found human remains buried them with a prayer rather than report to police

A project manager on a luxury development site said he ordered workers to bury the remains of Anna Jenkins, say a prayer and get on with the job — rather than stop construction.

THE project manager at a luxury building development site has revealed human remains were found on the site but quickly buried and never reported to police, the inquest into the mysterious disappearance and death of Glenelg grandmother Annapuranee “Anna” Jenkins in Malaysia in December 2017 has heard.

The man told the court when the remains were found in June 2020 he ordered workers to bury them and say a prayer then get back to work on the $107m villas development on Penang island.

This was not far from where Mrs Jenkins was last seen taking an Uber from her dentist to visit her 101-year-old mother in a nursing home.

However, one of the workers later dug up the remains, took a picture of the possessions found with them and sent it to Mrs Jenkins’ son Greg who had posted a reward for information — he had started his own investigation in frustration over lack of action by Malaysian police.

One of the flyers posted around Penang by Greg Jenkins in his search for his mother Anna.

Ann’s son Greg Jenkins has been fighting for justice for his mum who died in Malaysia under mysterious circumstances. Photo Kelly Barnes

As well as showing items that Mr Jenkins knew belonged to his mother such as her rosary beads, her hotel room keycard and a Clare Country Club pen, it also showed a bone.

A paramedic friend of Mr Jenkins identified it as a coccyx, which led to Mr Jenkins flying to Penang to conduct his own search at the site where he eventually found remains which DNA tests confirmed belonged to his mother.

“It was gut wrenching to hear him say my mother’s remains had been found then buried with no-one calling police,” Mr Jenkins told The Advertiser.

“Yet no-one else in court batted an eyelid about finding then burying human remains, and the prosecution and Coroner didn’t press him on why he did not report it to police.

“Anywhere else it would be a crime not to report finding human remains and instead burying them, and their actions also completely contaminated what we believe to be a crime scene.

“They put the value of the building site above human life — in Malaysia there are superstitions about buying a property where human remains have been found so they wanted it kept quiet.”

Malaysian-born Mrs Jenkins and husband Frank were on one of their regular holiday trips to Malaysia to visit Mrs Jenkins’ mother when she disappeared.

Annapuranee ‘Anna’ and Frank Jenkins. Picture supplied by family.

Frank Jenkins with daughter Jennifer and Anna’s grandchildren Henry, 11, and William, 6. Picture: Dylan Coker

The family believes she was victim of a robbery that went wrong and say the police botched the investigation including claiming that Mrs Jenkins had a “right” to disappear.

The Jenkins family is furious police have told the inquest Mrs Jenkins was “involved with drugs” without producing any proof to back the claim — a statutory declaration from SAPOL tended to the inquest shows there is no record in any Australian jurisdiction of the 65-year-old grandmother of two being involved in drugs.

The inquest in George Town on Penang island continues this week.