Gov’t made no request for FBI assistance in Adriana’s case

May 13, 2025 News

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…as Pres. Ali resists calls for more foreign investigators

By Shania Williams

Kaieteur News-  United States Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot, has confirmed that the Government of Guyana has not made any formal request to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for assistance in the investigation into the death of 11-year-old Adriana Younge. And President Irfaan Ali on Monday sought to have ruled out going beyond his government’s hiring of a retiree from Canada to conduct the probe.

Adriana’s body was discovered by her father, Subrian Younge, in the swimming pool of the Double Day International Hotel on April 24, approximately 20 hours after she was reported missing during a family trip to Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo.

In the wake of the tragic incident, Adriana’s family has publicly and repeatedly called for international investigators to lead the probe, specifically requesting assistance from the FBI, Scotland Yard, or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Their calls come amid growing public concerns over the Guyana Police Force’s handling of the case, which has led to widespread mistrust and scrutiny.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Caribbean Commissioners of Police General Meeting at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Ambassador Theriot clarified that FBI involvement would require a formal request from the Government of Guyana. “We will gladly listen to their requests and do what we can. I understand that it’s going to involve requesting FBI assistance for the investigation,” Theriot said. “The way that works is that it’s a government-to-government request, so the Government of Guyana would simply have to make that request to the FBI, and they would determine based on their capacity and their resources if they’re able to assist. So we’re happy to accept that request if that is what the government wishes to do.”

She also referenced the FBI’s past involvement in Guyana, citing the agency’s assistance in the 2023 investigation into a deadly fire at a secondary school dormitory in Mahdia, which claimed the lives of 20 people. “As you know, they came and did a very, very thorough investigation after the Mahdia fires,” she noted.

Protest is part of free speech

Additionally, Kaieteur News understands that a protest was scheduled to take place outside the U.S. Embassy on Young Street, Georgetown, as demonstrators call for FBI intervention in the investigation into Adriana Younge’s death. Ambassador Theriot, acknowledged the planned protest and expressed support for the public’s right to peacefully demonstrate. “The protest is part of free speech. As long as it is a peaceful protest, we are more than happy to hear the demands,” she stated.

President irritated

Meanwhile, on the side-lines at the same event, President Irfaan Ali appeared irriated when reporters questioned him about the child’s death. “I’m not going to belabour this point anymore. Everything I have committed to in the case, we brought in the independent pathologist, they have done their work. There’s an independent investigator in, I’ve done what I said I would have done. The political handlers are now at work aggressively—let the political handlers deal with what they want,” the President stated.

Attorney Darren Wade, who initially represented the Younge family, had written to President Ali on May 2, 2025, urging him to honour his promise of a thorough investigation. Wade cited public appeals from Adriana’s mother on April 24 and 25, which were widely circulated. “Despite these several pleadings by the family, you have failed and/or neglected to invite any of these agencies,” Wade wrote. “As a result, I am instructed by my client, as I hereby do, to remind you of a promise of a thorough investigation—one of which the Guyana Police Force lacks the necessary competence and credibility to provide—and to invite the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Scotland Yard, or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to investigate the matter.”

The first post-mortem examination concluded that Adriana died by drowning. Pathologists could not determine the time of death, and a toxicology report is still pending. The PME was conducted by government-appointed Barbadian pathologist Dr. Shubhakar Karra Paul. Adriana’s family had also requested Dr. Gary L. Collins, Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Delaware, to observe the autopsy. Dr. Glenn A. Rudner of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, also observed the autopsy.

Retiree

Recently, the government hired Leonard McCoshen, a retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to assist in Adriana’s investigation. However, this move has been rejected by the family as “unacceptable,” according to their new attorney, Dr. Dexter Todd. “Now, I am just using the language in the letter published by the Ministry of Home Affairs—[it] says this man is coming to assist the police. I would understand, this is a private individual. Number one, this is not what they were looking for,” Dr. Todd stated. “They were looking for some form of institutional organization that has very strong government obligations or code of conduct… Let’s say, like the FBI, where your ethical practices must be above board and like the Scotland Yard,” he added.

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• Double Day International Hotel, Federal Bureau of Investigation, President Irfaan Ali, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Subrian Younge

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