Man recognises found items

Missing but not forgotten: A screencap photo of Annapuranee,

GEORGE TOWN: The son of missing Australian woman Annapuranee Jenkins said he felt heartbroken when he recognised some of the items believed to have belonged to his mother.

Steven Jenkins said photos of the items were shown to their family through an embassy contact, adding that the family had identified the photos that were discovered on June 24.

“When I saw the photos for the first time, it was extremely emotional after seeing some of the items in the photos, which I believe belonged to my mother.

“It was a bit heartbreaking, but it was also the first lead that we had in nearly three years, ” he said.

Some of the 30 personal items that were found with the human bone fragments in a bush near the Penang Turf Club were believed to belong to Annapuranee, who on Dec 13,2017, disappeared mysteriously in the city after getting off a hailed ride on a busy street.

Steven, who is currently self-quarantined at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base in Butterworth, said not all of the items belonged to his mother, but “just some of them”, such as hotel cards, shampoo, toothpaste and a handbag, where “she will always put a little money purse and a pair of reading glasses in it”.

He said there were also a white blouse, a shoe and sunglasses, which resembled something his mother would wear.

“There were also rosary beads, eye drops and a pen, which I believe was from a country club that my mum and dad used to stay before.

“There was also a hair brush, where we saw some black hair on it. We had asked the police if they have done any DNA testing on it but so far we haven’t got any reply from them, ” he said.

Steven added that among other things that were found – which was believed to belong to his mother –were Australian coins, an asthma inhaler, a can of deodorant and a religious picture.

Asked whether the disappearance of his mother was connected to robbery Steven said he wanted to leave the investigation to the police.

“Once my self-quarantine ends on July 29, I will make a trip to the (Penang) island and will do whatever I can to try to get some closure for the family, especially for my father.

“Honestly, we can’t do anything legally right now without a death certificate, ” he said.

Meanwhile, George Town OCPD Asst Comm Soffian Santong said police were currently waiting for the Chemistry Department to conduct tests on DNA samples that would be acquired from Steven.

ACP Soffian said police would request to speed up the process in getting the results as the case was a matter of public interest.

“The test will take place once the self-quarantine period ends, ” he said when met after the monthly Penang police assembly at the state police headquarters here yesterday.

It was reported that Annapuranee left her husband at their hotel for a dental appointment in Pulau Tikus at 3pm on Dec 13,2017.

Upon completion of her treatment, with the help from clinic staff, she hailed a ride-sharing service provider, with instructions to head to Little Sisters of the Poor – Home for the Aged in Lorong Batu Lanchang, Ayer Itam to visit her aging mother.

While en route, she suddenly told the driver to stop at the traffic lights junction of Jalan Scotland and Jalan Batu Gantung.

The driver instead went into a compound near the Ramakrishna Ashrama to drop off the woman due to the busy oncoming traffic.

She then hurried out of the vehicle and within minutes, disappeared from sight.

Since then, her family members have been pursuing efforts to find her, including hiring a private investigator from their native country.

Annapuranee was born in Parit Buntar, Perak, where she met her Australian husband in the 1970s.

The couple had come back for a routine visit to Penang when she disappeared.

On June 24, police found human bone fragments and personal items in a bush near the Penang Turf Club in Jalan Batu Gantung, believed to be related to a missing foreign person case.