Krystal Fraser: Agony easing for family after coroner’s findings

The family of slain Victorian woman Krystal Fraser say the results of a coroner’s inquest have finally offered them “relief from 13 years of limbo”.

The family of slain Victorian woman Krystal Fraser say the results of a coroner’s inquest have finally offered them “relief from 13 years of limbo”.

“Ever since she went missing there was a big dark cloud, not only over our own family but over the town as well, the town was never the same,” her sister Chantel Fraser said.

“I had to get out, I couldn’t stay there but mum and dad have remained to this day.”

Karen and Chantel Fraser.

On Thursday, Coroner Kathrine Lorenz found the missing pregnant woman had been murdered in the early hours of June 21, 2009, just hours after she was possibly “lured” back to her home town of Pyramid Hill.

Krystal, then 23, went missing from the small town close after checking herself out of the Bendigo Base Hospital.

Hospital staff were alarmed, she was due to give birth to son Ryan James in three days, but Krystal was adamant she wanted to attend a “party”.

Less than one hour after she arrived by train, Krystal was last seen leaving the home of friend Robert Glennie.

No trace of her was ever found.

Ms Lorenz found the possible father of Krystal’s son, Peter Jenkinson, was “in some way involved” in her murder.

Peter Jenkinson did not give evidence at her coronial inquest on Monday, July 18 because of the likelihood that anything he did say would be incriminating. Picture: Hayley Elg

A month before she vanished, Mr Jenkinson had stopped using his mobile or home phone to contact Krystal, instead driving 10km from his Gunbower home to a public phone box in Leichville.

He has never admitted to making the calls, but Ms Lorenz found he had made 19 phone calls to Krystal from the box in an effort to “conceal” his contact with her.

Notably, Krystal received a 40 second phone call at 11.59pm the night she vanished, with Mr Jenkinson then being “involved” in transporting her out to Patho and then to Leichville.

“I find that Mr Jenkinson, as the caller, was involved in what happened to Krystal after she was taken to the Leichville area and he has been untruthful to police about it,” she said.

The phone at Leitchville where the last call to Krystal Fraser was made on the night of her who disappearance.

Chantel Fraser said the findings had left the family “extremely relieved”.

“We have a name, we now have someone we can blame,” she said.

“I watched mum and dad tear themselves apart over it for years. I didn’t think we’d ever get to inquest … it’s given them a big sense of closure.”

She said Krystal had “adored” Peter Jenkinson and would have done anything for him.

“I would like to know why he felt the need to take her from us?” she said.

“She wasn’t his to take.”

Peter Jenkinson. Picture: Facebook.

Her family now, she said, will be taking some time to process and grieve her death.

A rose garden has been planted in Krystal’s memory and the family now hoped to have a small ceremony there in lieu of a funeral for both Krystal and Ryan.

“I don’t think we’re ever going to (bring her home),” she said.

“I fought, I tried to do everything I possibly could for her but if they haven‘t found anything in 13 years. It’s going to be extremely hard now.”

Ms Fraser said she was glad the inquest was able to dispel a lot of the rumours that had swirled around Pyramid Hill in the past decade.

She said Krystal was the “heart and soul” of Pyramid Hill.

Krystal Fraser.

“Her disability wasn’t as bad as everyone seems to think,” she said. “Yes she was naive and trusted too easy but she wasn’t a child like it was put out there.”

“She may have been annoying and may have had personal boundary issues but she held the whole town together.”

Mr Jenkinson has repeatedly denied he was involved in Krystal’s disappearance.