GUYANA-GPF says it is committed to professionalism as investigations continue into the death of 11-year-old child

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Guyana Police Force (GPF) says it remains committed to upholding public trust and delivering justice with integrity and professionalism after lawyers for the family of an 11-year-old girl, whose body was found in a hotel pool late last month, said it was too premature to say that she died by drowning because the toxicology tests have not yet been completed.

Attorney Dr. Dexter Todd asked if the preliminary post-mortem report was unavailable, why then was there a public pronouncement about the cause of death?

“Won’t it have been better to say that the entire autopsy process is incomplete and, therefore, it will be premature at this stage to pronounce on a possible cause of death,” he told reporters shortly after the meeting with a police delegation that included Commissioner, Clifton Hicken.

Todd said that police had indicated that they did not know whether a sample of water or residue from the pool at the Double Day Hotel, Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, was taken by investigators to compare it with the water that was found in the body of Adriana Younge. “What are you matching that against? How are you doing the comparative analysis? They can’t say if any water was taken from that pool,” he added.

In a statement, the police said that the meeting with the attorneys representing the child’s family was convened to address questions and concerns raised by the family.

“The Police Force welcomed this engagement as an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to transparency, accountability, and diligent investigative work. Several questions were answered during the meeting, while others, due to the sensitive and evolving nature of the investigation, required further verification and were deferred for written response following consultation with the investigative team,” the police statement said.

“It is important to note that this meeting was conducted in a confidential setting, in good faith, and with the shared understanding that the primary goal was to maintain open lines of communication with the family through their legal representatives. The Force reiterated its commitment to keeping the family informed within the boundaries of legal and procedural requirements.

“At the meeting, the attorneys were assured that the investigation into the tragic death of Adriana Younge is being pursued with the utmost seriousness and care,” it added.

Three international pathologists did the autopsy on the body of the child, and samples from her body were sent to a reputable laboratory in the United States for tests.

Todd said the process would take a while, so the results could not be expected soon, unlike DNA tests, which would take much shorter.

Todd told reporters that the police could not pronounce on the family’s desire to have a second post-mortem. Still, he said that would depend on the first report and the video of the first examination of the body by pathologists- Barbados-based government pathologist Dr. Shubhakar Karra Paul, Dr. Glenn A. Rudner, who is affiliated with Mount Sinai Hospital and the Icahn School of Medicine in New York City and Trinidad and Tobago-born Chief Medical Examiner of the US State of Delaware, Dr. Gary L. Collins.

“It doesn’t seem all these days after that the Force is at a stage which you can either advance the investigations further or not,” he said, adding that he and his colleagues would formally request “some form” of an international investigation.

In the statement, the GPF assured the attorneys that the investigation is being pursued with the “utmost seriousness and care…with all leads and evidence actively being pursued.”

It said that “any information not provided during the meeting was withheld only to safeguard the investigation’s integrity and avoid compromising its outcomes.

“Surely Mr. Todd, who served the Guyana Police Force for several years in various capacities, including that of Personal Assist to a former Commissioner of Police, would understand the need for the careful handling of and dissemination of information about any investigation that is active,” the police statement added.

The family has since said that the funeral, which was planned for last Monday, has been postponed, with the mother, Amecia Simon, indicating that a new date will be provided in due course “once we can.”