Crime Immemorial

By 1981, Jenny had given birth to a fourth child, a daughter, and was navigating life as a single mother in a housing commission flat on Elizabeth Street in Richmond, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Despite the challenges of separation and raising four children alone, Jenny was remembered as a strong, independent woman deeply devoted to her family. Her son, who later spoke publicly about the case, recalled her as a loving parent who woke the family each morning with care and affection. Jenny’s parents, originally from Hong Kong, lived nearby in Kew, providing some support, but she was determined to provide for her children on her own. To outsiders, she appeared to be thriving, but her life was tragically interrupted on that fateful Friday in 1982.

The morning of April 23rd, 1982, began like any other for the Ng family. Around eight thirty a.m., the then thirty-nine-year-old Jenny helped her three school-aged children—her eleven-year-old son and daughters aged nine and seven—get ready for school, while her eleven-month-old daughter remained at home with her. The older children left for school, leaving Jenny and the baby alone in the flat.

At approximately ten thirty a.m., a neighbor heard a knock on Jenny’s door and overheard her speaking in Cantonese to a man. This unidentified visitor has since become a central figure in the investigation. About forty-five minutes later, the same neighbor reported hearing noises resembling furniture being moved and objects falling, but no screams or cries for help. The sounds culminated in the door slamming shut, followed by the man muttering angrily in English as he apparently descended the stairs.

By twelve thirty p.m., Jenny’s two daughters returned home for lunch and found the front door unlocked—an unusual occurrence, as Jenny was known to be cautious. Inside, they discovered their mother face down on the living room floor, stabbed repeatedly in the chest, throat, back, and arms. The infant daughter was unharmed, asleep in her bassinet in the bedroom. In a panic, the girls ran to a neighbor’s flat to raise the alarm, prompting an immediate police response.

Police arrived swiftly and confirmed Jenny had been killed with a sharp, thin-bladed knife, sustaining over thirty wounds in what appeared to be a frenzied attack. There were no signs of forced entry, sexual assault, or robbery, and the scene lacked unusual fingerprints, bloody footprints, or handprints—details that suggested the killer was meticulous or familiar with the victim. The weapon was never recovered, despite searches of local rubbish bins on April 26th.

Investigators set up a caravan at the housing complex to collect tips, but public response was disappointingly low. The overkill nature of the stabbing pointed to a personal motive, leading police to believe the perpetrator knew Jenny, and was possibly even a fellow tenant. Jenny had no known enemies or romantic entanglements at the time, shifting focus to her estranged husband, Kam Hor Ng. Their separation had been contentious, with Kam reportedly opposed to it, and he spoke Cantonese, matching the neighbor’s description. However, a workmate provided him with a solid alibi, and police have since stated there is no evidence implicating him directly, though he remains a person of interest until the case is solved. Following Jenny’s death, her children severed ties with their father.

Over the years, extensive inquiries have been conducted, including interviews with numerous individuals, but no breakthroughs have emerged. In September 1982, a $50,000 reward was offered by the state government, which was increased to $1 million in 2018 to reinvigorate leads.

As of August 2025, the murder of Jenny Rose Ng remains unsolved, classified as a cold case by Victoria Police. Homicide Squad detectives continue to appeal for information, emphasizing that even minor details could crack the case. The $1 million reward stands for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the responsible party.