Adriana’s funeral postponed

May 06, 2025 News

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…as family seeks clarity, asks for space

Kaieteur News- In a dramatic turn of events, the family of 11-year-old Adriana Younge at the last moment postponed her funeral that was planned for Monday, calling for clarity and space as they mourn her death.

In a statement, the child’s mother, Amecia Simon said: “My heart is shattered beyond words. As a mother there is no pain greater than losing your child – she was my heartbeat, my everything. My precious Adriana was the light of our lives and in this unbearable moment we are clinging to the love she gave so freely and the memories that will live with us forever.”

Simon said “I want to take this moment through my tears and brokenness, to thank each and every one of you near and far who have stood with our family during this impossible time. The support you all have shown us, the messages, prayers, hugs and tears shared with us- they have held us up when we thought we couldn’t stand. I’ve felt the arms of this nation around me and I am so deeply grateful.” She noted that due to ongoing matters and our family’s need for space and clarity as we grieve, “we have made the painful decision to postpone Adriana’s funeral today. Please know this was not easy, but we want to honour her with the peace, love and the dignity she deserves. We will announce new details once we are able. We ask for your continued prayers and your understanding. My baby girl touched so many hearts, and that love — your love — is helping us find strength. Thank you from the depths of a mother’s heart.”

Meanwhile, in a statement, President Irfaan, Ali reiterated his support for the Younge’s family. “On behalf of the Government, the people of Guyana and my family, I again reiterate our love and support for Adriana’s family and loved ones. We pray that her soul finds eternal peace and that her memory be an inspiration of goodness, hope and positivity. We pray that her family be strengthened in faith and patience as the investigation into her death continues. In God’s comforting arms, I present the family and Adriana in prayers as I urge every Guyanese to do.”

Younge’s body was found in the Double Day Hotel swimming pool two weeks ago and her funeral was originally billed for Monday and thousands were expected to attend. Younge’s family believes she was murdered, but a postmortem examination has only concluded that she died by drowning. A second autopsy was stymied by the authorities. The family has been appealing to citizens for a peace, but has remained resolute in their calls for an independent investigation into the circumstances under which the child died.

Police last week said that DNA samples were taken from the owner of the Double Day Hotel as well as Adriana and sent overseas for examination. But family members have been calling for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Scotland Yard or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to conduct a thorough investigation. President Irfan Ali has so far promised that the Commissioner of Police has been instructed to assemble a local team of police officers to conduct the probe.  

Attorney-at-Law and certified forensic expert, Dr. Dexter Todd on Sunday deemed the investigation into the death of Adriana Younge “a complete set up for a failed case.”

During an episode of Nation Watch which was streamed via Facebook, Dr. Todd said “what you are seeing here is a complete, not 80 or 90, but 100% complete chaos, and of course outside of any forensic approach…so immediately I say the police’s posture from the onset, set the platform for there to be a contamination of the entire case, and contamination of the entire evidence, because, it gets easy.”

He explained that while he does not predict that they had a medical doctor, to pronounce the child dead on the scene immediately, commonsense should have prevailed that the body cannot be removed.

Dr. Todd reasoned, that what should have happened from the inception is that, “there should have been the forensic doctor who would visit at that location, and so that’s important. (It should have been ensured that) samples are taken at the scene immediately.”

The attorney at law further explained that if you look at developed countries, and even some countries in Africa, this sort of posture would never be observed, as once dealing with a forensic investigation, the head of the team needs to be immediately identified.

“Who’s heading the forensic investigation? Who is giving instructions in relation to other members of the forensic team?  Who are giving instructions to them?” he questioned.

Dr. Todd highlighted that in spite of all the training available in the Guyana Police Force no operationalization of the said training was observed. Therefore, he termed the investigation as, “A complete setup for a failed case that was a complete set up of a failed case.”

Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton has also written President Ali, requesting an International Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the death of the child, the response of the police, and the public unrests which followed. Norton said the inquiry must be supported by neutral reputable investigators from foreign agencies like the FBI, Scotland Yard, or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He said the commission’s main functions should be uncovering the truth, ensuring that the persons responsible for Younge’s murder are brought to justice, without fear or favor, and that the confidence of the public in the rule of law is restored.

According to the letter, the degree of inaction and complacency throughout the case cannot be overlooked as decisions, omissions and public communications reveal a disturbing pattern that can be reasonably interpreted as “politically expedient incompetence.” It is in this regard that Norton is requesting an international CoI, that should be headed by a distinguished Commonwealth jurist.

Norton has proposed 13 Terms of Reference (Tors), which, he said, are critical to ensuring an authentic process, that is thorough and capable of withstanding domestic and international scrutiny. They include to: Develop a Corroborated Chronology, which will reconstruct an accurate timeline of events from when Ms. Younge went missing to when her body was found, and the subsequent reactions; Evaluate Police Response – determine whether there was professionalism or a lack of it, timeliness, and effectiveness of the police throughout all stages; Review Breaches in the Chain of Command-examine communications within the Guyana Police Force from the time the missing child report was filed to the lifting of the curfew imposed after the events of April 28, 2025; Assess Evidence Handling – Determine whether the failure to maintain the hotel and surrounding area as a crime scene compromised key forensic evidence. Assess whether this failure resulted from incompetence, or deliberate action or inaction; Evaluate Public Communication – Evaluate whether information provided to the public and to Ms. Younge’s family was accurate, timely, and transparent, including statements regarding the autopsy results. Determine whether any such pronouncement was intended to mislead the public; Crowd Control and Use of Force – Determine whether the Guyana Police Force’s failure to take preemptive action to implement crowd control-particularly on the day of the autopsy-was the result of incompetence or a calculated decision; Explore the Unrest – Assess the extent to which the actions or inactions of the Guyana Police Force contributed to the escalation of unrest.” It should also be determined whether the use of force, inclusive of deadly force, complied with standard operating procedures, and to what extent any breach of those procedures contributed to the unrest.

Adriana’s lifeless body was pulled from the swimming pool by her father, Subrian Younge, on April 24, just 20 hours after she was reported missing while on a family trip at the location. An autopsy was conducted on April 28 by a three-member international pathology team. The specialists, Dr. Shubhakar Karra Paul from Barbados, Dr. Gary Collins, Chief Medical Examiner of Delaware, United States of America and Dr. Glenn Rudner of Mount Sinai Hospital, concluded that she died from drowning.

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• Adriana Younge, Dr. Dexter Todd, drowning, failed case

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