International Pathologists along with family members of Adriana Younge and Attorney-at-Law Darren Wade making their way to a briefing, following the Post Mortem Examination on Monday at GPHC. Photo: Kaieteur News

Younge was reported missing on April 23 during an outing with family members at the Double Day International Hotel and Bar, Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo. She was discovered dead in the hotel pool the next day. It should be noted that after the child was discovered missing, an alarm was raised and checks were made around the hotel premises, though not thorough. The family is, however, certain that the pool area was searched several times by multiple individuals in hopes of finding little Adriana.

On Monday, three international pathologists determined that the child died from drowning. However, no determination was made regarding the time of death or whether pool water or tap water was discovered inside of the child’s lungs.

This has left Adriana’s family in disbelief, as they maintain the child could swim.

In fact, the child’s aunt, Amika Lewis, who was briefed by the pathology team at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) following the PME, made it clear that murder was not ruled out by the three specialists.

In an interview with Kaieteur News on Tuesday, she explained, “The three pathologists said that my niece died from drowning. Of course, the pathologists can only tell you the cause, they cannot say where she drowned.”

The woman added, “They did not rule out that she was murdered. They explained that to us, that they are not going to rule out that she was murdered…we the citizens, we the family, we the people who were there, know for a fact she did not drown in the pool.”

To this end, Lewis discounted remarks shared by President Irfaan Ali that there was no ‘forceful drowning’ of her niece. She said, “I don’t know if it was Mr. Ali or Mr. Jagdeo who had a conference and said something that the pathologists said that she wasn’t forcefully (drown). The pathologist did not say that. They did not say that. They said other things: she didn’t have any broken bones; she was not raped. They did not say that she was not murdered. They did not say that she drowned in the pool and they explained that they couldn’t tell us that. They would need a toxicology report and some other stuff done.”

During a press briefing on Monday evening, the Head of State told reporters, “The relatives were also informed that the pathologists ruled out theories of forcible drowning or any other means of killing followed by disposal of the body in water.”

In addition to the child’s relatives disputing these remarks reportedly made by the pathologists, Darren Wade, the family’s attorney, also denied such information being communicated. In an interview with Guyana Standard, an online news outlet, the lawyer said, “What I heard, there was no violence, there was no harm or anything inflicted on the body. That is what I could speak of. Any word of forcible drowning, those words were not used to me. I cannot speak on that…”

He therefore maintained that he was only told that the child died by drowning.

Kaieteur News also verified with another official, that was in the briefing, that no such discussion was had.

Investigation of Adriana’s death

Meanwhile, Lewis noted that the family remains completely in the dark where justice for Adriana is concerned. She noted that they are clueless as to whether any persons are in police custody, as no updates have been forthcoming regarding likely suspects who may be wanted for questioning in relation to the child’s death.

Further, she explained that citizens have since made a number of questionable discoveries at the building, including “secret doors and passages with washrooms.”

To this end, the woman maintained, “We know, the family knows that she was murdered. I think Guyana knows that and the world knows that. We agree with the pathologist but we know for a fact that she was killed and her body was then placed in the pool.”

Dr. Caleb Mc Mcloggan, a Guyanese medical professional, who observed Adriana’s autopsy in a live statement on Monday evening said the manner in which the 11-year-old died is still to be investigated.

According to him, “We have the cause, now we have to determine the manner in which she succumbed. We know that it was due to drowning, now we got to know how she drowned. We got to wait on the toxicology report also.”

He said a laboratory was identified to send body fluids taken from the child’s body to be tested. These will be thoroughly examined and tested to assess whether she was injected with a tranquilizer that may have been the reason for no marks of violence of the body.

No commitment from President Ali for independent probe

Even as calls continue for an independent probe into little Adriana’s death, the Government of Guyana (GoG) has not given any commitment in this regard.

Following the announcement of the child’s autopsy results on Monday, President Ali held a press briefing where he failed to commit to an international investigation into the death of the 11-year-old.

When asked a direct question on the issue, he said, “I have not addressed anything beyond what is before me now. Throughout this case, I have stuck to facts. The first request was that of an independent pathologist, they had three. This is the report, these are the facts of the report so I am not going to go beyond facts, especially on sensitive matters and any mature person, especially a leader, would confine themselves to the facts so that is where I am stopping here.”

Efforts by this newspaper to contact the Head of State for a comment proved futile.

Opposition joins call

Meanwhile, Opposition parties have joined with grieving relatives of Adriana Younge in calling for an independent investigation of her death.

In a statement on Tuesday, Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes said, “No parent should have to mourn a daughter under such unclear and troubling circumstances. Today, we acknowledge the preliminary report that cites drowning as Adriana’s cause of death. Yet even as that detail comes to light, the larger truth remains elusive.”

To this end, the Leader renewed the party’s call for a full, transparent, and independent investigation into the events that led to Adriana’s death. “The public deserves clarity. The family deserves justice. And Guyana deserves answers,” AFC said.

Notably, it also made it clear that violence, looting, burning buildings, blocking roads and other “lawless” acts were not justice nor will they bring peace or honour Adriana’s life.

“Adriana Younge was a young woman with dreams and dignity. She should be remembered not for the chaos her death sparked, but for the change her memory can inspire,” AFC urged.

Leader of the Opposition and People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Aubrey Norton, also reiterated calls on Tuesday for an independent probe of the child’s death.

Previously, the party highlighted the loss of confidence in the local law enforcement and justice systems in Guyana. As such, it said, “The President must therefore fire the Commissioner of Police and invite the FBI or some other reputable international law enforcement body to investigate this heinous crime.”