Despite the family's relentless pursuit of justice, their journey has been met with roadblocks and a recent court decision has only deepened their anguish.
SHAH ALAM - The mysterious disappearance and tragic death of Anna Jenkins, a 65-year-old Australian citizen in 2017 have sparked outrage and heartbreak for her family, who have spent years seeking answers.
Despite their relentless pursuit of justice, their journey has been met with roadblocks and a recent court decision has only deepened their anguish.
Here is a detailed look at what happened to Anna and her family’s fight for accountability.
Dec 2017: A family visit turns into a tragedy
Anna and her husband, Frank Jenkins, were on a trip from Adelaide, Australia to Penang, Malaysia, to visit her ailing 101-year-old mother.
On Dec 13, 2017, after a dentist appointment, Anna was last seen at 4.45pm.
It was reported that she made a frantic call to her husband around 5.30pm, claiming she was being followed by two men, allegedly seeking her passport.
Anna never reached her mother’s nursing home and her family immediately raised the alarm.
By Dec 14, 2017, local police were alerted, but their investigation was criticised for lacking urgency.
Anna’s son Greg Jenkins flew to Penang to join the search.
Despite his efforts, reports claimed the authorities allegedly ignored key leads, such as CCTV footage near Anna's last known location.
2018-2019: Delays and missed opportunities
The following year brought more frustrations. Police failed to follow up on several potential leads, including an Uber driver’s account of Anna’s movements.
Requested CCTV footage expired before it could be reviewed and Greg claimed that the police had lost interest in the case.
Tragically, Anna’s elderly mother passed away in Oct 2018, never knowing what happened to her daughter.
Greg continued his solo efforts, making dozens of trips to Malaysia and spending significant amounts of his own money.
June 2020: A breakthrough at a construction site
Three years after Anna’s disappearance, a construction worker contacted Greg with shocking news.
He had found Anna’s belongings, including a dentist appointment card, cross necklace and inhaler, along with bones, at a building site in Penang.
Disturbingly, the worker claimed that the remains had been moved to avoid disrupting the development project.
Greg travelled to Malaysia during strict Covid-19 restrictions to investigate.
Despite police already being alerted to the site, Greg discovered more of his mother’s possessions and bones, including vertebrae, weeks later.
April 2022: Remains returned, but questions remain
In April 2022, Malaysian police handed over Anna’s remains to Greg in a cardboard box. By then, vital evidence had been destroyed, including a skull fragment that reportedly showed trauma.
Jan-Feb 2023: Coroner's Inquest and Legal Battles
A Malaysian coroner’s inquest in Jan 2023 was declared an ‘open verdict’ due to insufficient evidence.
The family criticised the process as a farce, citing errors such as visiting the wrong location and mistaking construction materials for bone fragments.
In Feb 2024, Greg filed a negligence case against Malaysian authorities, developers and contractors.
However, the Malaysian High Court dismissed the case, further intensifying the family’s frustrations.
Feb 2024: Court dismissal sparks outrage
The court's decision to dismiss Greg's negligence claim allegedly came with a controversial remark from the judge, who suggested the family ‘should be grateful’ that the construction workers alerted the police.
Greg rejected this, stating that the police only got involved due to his persistent efforts.
“We have proof they found and reburied mum's remains. How is tampering with evidence and contaminating a crime scene not a criminal offence in any Commonwealth country?
“Instead, the judge absolved them and said we should be thanking them that they brought the police in, which they only did because of the amount of pressure I put on the construction worker.
“They at first did not do anything and the police refused to go there until we forced their hand. It was getting some local media coverage and I said I would go to the Foreign Minister,” he reportedly said.
Meanwhile, an independent Member of Parliament (MP) in South Australia, Frank Pangallo, accompanied Greg to Malaysia and called on Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong to intervene.
“The Jenkins family, who just want someone to answer for what happened to Anna, have been repeatedly brushed aside by Malaysian authorities.
“Anna became an Australian citizen when she moved to the country in the early 1970s and raised a family in Adelaide following her marriage to Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) serviceman Frank, as a young woman.
'It Is high time the Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, made strong representations to the Malaysian Government about the treatment of the Jenkins family,” he emphasised.
Allegations of corruption and cover-up
Greg has accused the developers of prioritising profits over justice.
He claimed that Anna’s remains were reburied in an area designated for a water feature to avoid damaging the property’s market value, especially for wealthy Chinese buyers who traditionally avoid land linked to death.
“This development cost over 100 million USD, but its selling price exceeded a billion. They did not want a dead body found there because it is taboo and could kill the market,” he claimed.
Where does the case stand now?
Despite years of effort, the Jenkins family remains without closure.
No one has been held accountable for Anna’s disappearance and death.
The family's hope for justice lies in continued international pressure and possible future inquiries into the mishandling of the case.
The case also has cost the Jenkins family over 600 thousand USD, but Greg vowed to continue his fight, despite the legal and emotional toll.
