Penang coroner returns open verdict in mystery death of holidaying Aussie grandma
GEORGE TOWN, May 12 — Coroner Norsalha Hamzah today declared an open verdict in the inquest of Australian Annapuranee Jenkins whose remains were found nearly three years after her 2017 abrupt disappearance while on holiday in Penang.
Norshalha said she could not determine the cause of death, the nature of death, or find any criminal element based on the testimonies presented to the Coroner’s Court. “There were insufficient evidence to establish the facts of the case,” she said in her ruling.
She said that although a post mortem report confirmed that the remains found were of Annapuranee’s, they were incomplete and the cause of death was listed as undetermined.
Annapuranee, 65, was in Penang on a short holiday with her husband in December 2017 when she vanished on December 13 while on the way to visit her mother at the Little Sisters of the Poor home for the elderly.
Her remains and belongings were found on June 24 in 2020 at a construction site near where she was last seen.
Norsalha said the court had heard testimonies from various agencies and witnesses but there were no conclusive clues for the court to determine where and how the deceased had died.
“Taking into account the information and testimonies, the coroner’s court is unable to determine the real cause of death, and we are unable to determine if there were third party criminal elements in this case or there is no criminal element at all,” she said before declaring an open verdict today.
Annapuranee’s case caught the attention of the South Australian government when a member of the legislative council, Frank Pangallo, took up the case on behalf of the Jenkins family.
The inquest was then called to ascertain the cause of her death.
Pangallo, who was in court to listen to the verdict today, later told reporters outside the courtroom that the inquest was a waste of time and was only held to appease international pressure on the case.
“I did not expect it (the verdict) to be a short three-minute statement,” he said.
He said the coroner failed to mention the bungled investigation into Annapuranee’s disappearance and death.
“It was clear that she met with foul play. The Coroner should have considered poor police investigation and asked or recommended that the police continue to reinvestigate this case,” he said.
He said the basic human rights of the Jenkins family were not acknowledged by the Malaysian authorities.
He suggested that the Jenkins family appeal to a higher court against the Coroner’s verdict.
Meanwhile, Annapuranee’s son, Gregory Jenkins, said he was shocked by the verdict.
“We were hoping the Coroner will see all the gaps that will lead to a reinvestigation to find the cause of death but it seems like they just want this to go away,” he said.
He said he will be discussing with his sister on the next course of action.
“We are not going to stop, we can’t stop, it is not about mom anymore,” he said.
“This is what Malaysians have to deal with day in and day out, we can’t let mom be another number,” he added.
He said he will continue to seek justice for his mother.
