GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – President Irfaan Ali has reiterated a call for calm and the maintenance of the law as he sought to reassure the population that the authorities will continue their efforts to bring justice to the family of 11-year-old Adrianna Younge, whose body was found floating in a pool at a hotel here last Thursday.
“I would like to call upon all Guyanese to respect the rule of law…to avoid action that will put you in breach of the law. The destruction of public infrastructure and private property, burning of people’s vehicles, and inconveniencing others, is not what we want to demonstrate as a people and as a nation,” Ali told a news conference late on Monday night.
He said that the results of the autopsy conducted by three internationally acclaimed pathologists – Dr. Glenn Rudner, Dr. Shubhakar Karra Paul, and Dr. Gary Collins – had shown that the child had died by drowning and that several images and videos have already captured individuals participating in riotous protests.
He has promised that those individuals will be prosecuted.
“There are a lot of images already captured of persons creating destruction along the roadways, public and private property, and those persons will be prosecuted…I’m appealing to every citizen to let good sense prevail,” he said.
Ali said that the government would review all the events surrounding Younge’s death to strengthen trust in the system.
“I want to assure the public that Adrianna’s death has brought a point of reflection also on how we can strengthen and improve the systems…there will be a review of all the events from the time from the time the report was made to the time the body was found,” President Ali said, adding that her death should serve as a reminder of the need for national unity.
“Let this bright young star show us that we can come together in a way that brings us closer to each other, in a way that supports each other, and not destroy each other,” he told reporters.
The three foreign forensic pathologists said they did not find evidence that Younge died from forced drowning or was otherwise killed and placed in the pool, the President said.
“Upon completing the procedure, the forensic pathologists ruled out signs of physical and sexual trauma on Ms Younge’s body. After careful deliberation, the team concluded that Ms. Younge died as a result of drowning,” he said, adding that due to the state of decomposition of the body, the pathologists were unable to provide an exact time of death.
He said 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 into the water.
Ali said that toxicology tests are to be conducted.
Earlier, the family’s lawyer, Darren Wade, told reporters that the cause of death was drowning and that there were no broken bones.
He said the autopsy found that the marks on Younge’s skin were due to the water in the pool.
The girl’s body was discovered in a pool at the Double Day Hotel, Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, on Thursday, a day after she was reported missing by her family, who were with her for a family outing.
Ali said the objectives of the examination were to identify signs of trauma or injuries to the body and sexual violence, collect forensic samples, document the postmortem examination through photographs and videography, and determine the cause of death.
He said a civilian had provided inaccurate information from the regional command center that monitors the surveillance cameras in Region Three (West Demerara-Essequibo Islands).
Ali used the opportunity to accuse those political activists for Monday’s clashes between protestors and law enforcement officers.
“Those political actors who have selfishly hijacked this sad situation, your actions speak volumes about your love for this country, your patriotism for this country,” he said.
But Opposition Leader and head of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Aubrey Norton said the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC)-led administration was wrongfully accusing the opposition.
“Let it be made very clear. We do not support the looting. We do not support the destruction of property. We fully support this struggle for justice,” he said.
Police earlier fired pellets at sympathizers and other persons who had converged outside the Georgetown Public Hospital mortuary while the autopsy was being conducted.
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