Inquest into disappearance and death of Annapuranee ‘Anna’ Jenkins in Malaysia begins

An inquest into the mystery 2017 death of an Glenelg East woman has started, with the family concerned about the line of some of the questions.

The evidence of the Uber driver who was the last to see Australian woman Annapuranee “Anna” Jenkins in Malaysia “will be a real turning point” in the investigation, her family hopes

A long-awaited inquest finally starts in Malaysia this week to investigate the disappearance and death of Malaysian-born Mrs Jenkins, 65, of Glenelg East in 2017.

She was on holidays with husband Frank and went missing after a dentist appointment in George Town on Penang Island on December 13.

She was last seen in an Uber on her way to visit her 101-year-old mother in a nearby aged-care home.

Annapuranee Jenkins

The family has sought answers for more than four years and it was their offer of a reward that finally found some of Mrs Jenkins’ possessions and bone fragments at a building site on June 14, 2020.

Son Greg Jenkins immediately flew in to conduct his own search and found skull and spine fragments, which were confirmed as Mrs Jenkins’ by a DNA test.

Greg Jenkins (right) with legal team Asmeeta Rajendran and S. Raveentharan from Raveen Associates, at the inquest. Pictures supplied by Jen Bowen

On the first day of the inquest, the manager of JEN Penang in George Town, where the couple were staying, known as Ody, took the stand and was repeatedly asked about the couple’s relationship, their daughter Jen Bowen told The Advertiser.

“There were a lot of questions about Mum and Dad’s relationship but Ody confirmed they were a visibly loving couple, caring about each other,” Ms Bowen said.

“We were concerned about some of the questions, that they were trying to discredit Mum and Dad, but Ody explained they were clearly loving — he epitomised the Malaysian public with his honesty.”

The dentist and receptionist at the dental clinic Mrs Jenkins visited are due to give evidence on Tuesday as authorities work through the chronology of the disappearance.

Ms Bowen said the evidence of the Uber driver who picked Mrs Jenkins up at the clinic will be a major point of the inquest.

“It may highlight a lot of discrepancies in the investigation, he was the last to see Mum alive,” Ms Bowen said.

“When he provided a statement to police they simply took it as fact because he had signed it, they did not cross-reference anything, seek a map of where he had been or look at any of his transactions, they simply took his word and left it at that.

“We feel it could be a real turning point.”

Rosary beads and a cross belonging to Adelaide woman Annapuranee, Jenkins, found on a Malaysian, construction site more than two years after she disappeared.

The family has been bitterly disappointed by the local police’s handling of the disappearance and suspect Mrs Jenkins was a victim of foul play.

The family of Annapuranee Jenkins put up a 20,000 Ringgit reward ($A6750) for information about her disappearance.

Mr Jenkins, a former Royal Australian Air Force serviceman, met and married his wife while stationed at the RAAF’s air base in Butterworth in the mid-1970s and the couple travelled to Malaysia at least once a year.

The family are grateful for public support including from SA-BEST MLC Frank Pangallo who successfully moved a motion in parliament last year calling on the King of Malaysia to request the Royal Malaysian Police conduct a thorough investigation into the case.

Daughter Jennifer Bowen and Gregory Jenkins want answers about their mother’s disappearance. Picture Roy VanDerVegt