T&T pathologist yet to get clearance from medical council for second autopsy on Adriana

May 20, 2025 News

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Kaieteur News- Trinidadian forensic pathologist Dr. Hubert Daisley last week responded to the Medical Council of Guyana (MCOG) in providing additional information to the board to decide whether to grant him approval to practice in Guyana to review 11-year-old Adriana Younge’s body.

He is yet to get clearance from the council to do a second autopsy on Adriana. This was confirmed by the family’s lead attorney, Dexter Todd during an interview with Kaieteur News on Monday. In a statement released on May 12, the MCOG revealed that during the review of Dr. Daisley’s application, “new information, previously unavailable during his last registration, has come to the Council’s attention.” As a result, the council has “formally written to the Medical Board of Trinidad and Tobago requesting additional information. Once received, the Council will review the information and make a decision on Dr. Daisley’s application.”

Dr. Todd told this publication that he currently has limited information from the medical board on the next meeting but was informed that Dr. Daisely had responded to the MCOG’s request. “I have no update on the medical council as of now. The last I heard is the medical council is dealing with the medical council in Trinidad. So I’m waiting for them to give us some form of correspondence,” he said. “One of the other lawyers in the team communicated with a doctor today (Monday), and he had communicated with me that he had submitted whatever they requested. He had responded to the medical board in relation to that.”

When asked about the additional information that is needed by the council, Dr. Todd explained that he remains clueless on the information. “I asked one of the lawyers and the team to ask the doctor to give us a copy of what they had to see if he would get it from his medical board. But he has not been able to get that, we don’t know what is it that they really asking for,” the lawyer stated.   The lawyer anticipates that before either Wednesday or Thursday, a decision would be made by the council on his application to return to Guyana.

Adriana’s body was discovered on April 24 by her father, Subryan Younge, in the swimming pool of the Double Day Hotel at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo—nearly 20 hours after she was reported missing during a family swimming trip. The first post-mortem examination (PME), conducted by government-appointed Barbadian pathologist Dr. Shubhakar Karra Paul on April 28 at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), determined that Adriana died by drowning. However, the time of death could not be ascertained, and a toxicology report is still pending. The PME was observed by two international experts: Dr. Gary L. Collins, Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Delaware, and Dr. Glenn A. Rudner of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

Unconvinced by the findings, Adriana’s family formally requested an independent review of the PME footage and documentation. They also sought permission for Dr. Daisley to participate in the review process. The MCOG held a meeting last Monday but reached no conclusion.

Kaieteur News on several occasions contacted the Chair of the Guyana Medical Council is Dr. Navindranauth Rambaran but efforts have been proved futile.

Nevertheless, the family has decided to fly Adriana’s body out to the United States in a forensic lab located in Atlanta to conduct a second autopsy. Dr Todd confirmed that the process of preparing for the body to travel is going smoothly. “The last I spoke with them this morning is that the process was going fine,” Todd said.

He further stated that the paperwork to have Adriana’s body flown out has begun last Friday. “The paperwork process, could have only started when the death certificate was issued. That was issued on Friday,” Todd stated. he added, “the parents started the process and they should be able to update me by tomorrow in relation to that process in terms of the embalming, etc., and the paper work. They are working directly with the parlour, both local and overseas, so they are the ones dealing with them.”

In terms of embalming, the lawyer stated that an expert was flown in to inspect the body on Monday morning. “The person came in to do the embalmment. And so that person is here, that person did the inspection of the body only this morning,” Todd said. Dr. Todd outlined the other documents the family needs, includes the inspection and certificate from the Ministry of Health. He stated that the application was not made as yet. He explained, “I think they are waiting to complete the process of embalmment and all of that, and then to be able to package her in whatever casket or whatever they are taking her in, because they will have to do inspections and all of that before that is done.” The lawyer anticipates that the process should be completed by Friday, noting that there is still a possibility to have Adriana’s body to be flown out this week or early next week.

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