Grief has given way to outrage as the family of 11-year-old Adrianna Younge challenges the official account of her death, with their attorney declaring it a clear case of homicide and accusing investigators of rushing to a conclusion. The Guyana Police Force (GPF), in turn, has pushed back hard, defending the preliminary drowning finding and warning against what it calls “reckless speculation.”
Younge’s body was found in the pool of the Double Day Hotel in Tuschen on April 24, one day after she was reported missing during a family outing. While a post-mortem by an international panel of pathologists concluded that she died from drowning, family attorney and forensic legal expert Dr. Dexter Todd has categorically rejected that finding.
“If she drowned, it was in a limited amount of water. Her body was not submerged,” Todd said. “If she drowned in the pool, her body would have been bloated and swollen with water entering all her tissues and organs.
“She would have been at the bottom of the pool for 2 to 3 days and she would have surfaced face up, big and bloated. This is a homicide case!”
The emotional weight of Todd’s statement has intensified public demand for answers and transparency in a case that has already shaken national confidence. In a move to signal its commitment to a thorough investigation, the government recently enlisted Canadian homicide expert Leonard McCoshen, a retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigator with more than 30 years of experience.
But as questions mount, the police have gone on the defensive. In a detailed and strongly worded statement, the GPF accused “certain persons” of waging a “relentless campaign” to distort facts and mislead the public, particularly through social media.
The police confirmed that a panel of foreign pathologists — including doctors chosen by both the government and the Younge family — performed the autopsy. The exam reportedly found no signs of sexual assault or pre-death injuries, but did detect classic markers of drowning, including foam in the nostrils and lungs, water in the sinuses, and skin changes consistent with prolonged immersion.
“The Guyana Police Force categorically rejects the contention of Dexter Todd that the Police, prematurely or at all, released the preliminary finding of the cause of death to the public,” the statement read. “Professional comity and common courtesy demand that he defers to the opinion of three renowned international experts in the field.”
But Todd is not backing down. “Science must follow logic,” he said in response. “If the physical evidence contradicts the theory of drowning, then we must explore the possibility that Adriana’s death was not accidental. This little girl deserves the truth.”
Meanwhile, water samples from the hotel pool have been sent overseas for independent forensic analysis, and toxicological tests are being conducted in the United States. Final autopsy results will only be released once these analyses are complete.
The tension between official accounts and the family’s accusations has made the case among the most emotionally charged and controversial in recent memory. While the public, skeptical of the Guyana Police Force and the Government, watches on, what is undeniable is that the fight for justice for Adrianna Younge is not over.
The statement by the Guyana Police Force follows:
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) wishes to set the record straight by reiterating the factual account of the events and procedures surrounding the autopsy of the body of 11-year-old Adrianna Younge, discovered in the swimming pool of the Double Day Hotel in Tuschen on Thursday, April 24, 2025.
Unfortunately, this has become necessary as a result of a relentless campaign by certain persons to distort the truth in the public domain, in particular social media.
As a result of public concerns generated from the circumstances in which the death of Adrianna Younge occurred, the Government of Guyana intervened and an extraordinary and unprecedented process was embarked upon to facilitate an independent forensic post mortem examination to be conducted by respected and highly qualified foreign pathologists.
Aiming ultimately to maintain transparency and independence, Dr Gary Collins, who was specifically chosen by the family of the deceased, Dr. Rudner from Mount Sinai and Dr. Paul from the Government of Barbados conducted a comprehensive forensic examination on the body of the deceased.
This examination was done in the presence of Darren Wade, the legal representative of the family and Dr. Caleb Mc Cloggan, a medical doctor chosen by the family.
The Guyana Police Force wishes to make it abundantly clear that it was the relatives of the deceased, their lawyer and the doctor representing the family who divulged to the Press and published on the social media the preliminary finding of the cause of death, drowning, of the forensic examination.
Thus, the Guyana Police Force, therefore, categorically rejects the contention of Dexter Todd that the Police, prematurely or at all, released the preliminary finding of the cause of death to the public.
Moreover, it was never disputed that the report prepared by the pathologists was preliminary in nature.
This was made clear from the inception. It was also made pellucid that a toxicology analysis will be conducted overseas and only when this process is concluded, a final report will be issued.
It is rather unfortunate that Mr. Todd would attempt to blatantly mislead the public by his erroneous utterances and uninitiated opinions in a highly technical scientific field. Professional comity and common courtesy demand that he defers to the opinion of three renowned international experts in the field.
Unfortunately, as a result of a barrage of misinformation being peddled in the social media intending to confuse and cause public mischief, the Guyana Police Force feels compelled to share with the public some of the findings of the preliminary forensic examination report.
- There was no evidence of sexual assault (her external genitalia were examined and found unremarkable with her hymen intact)
- Her soft tissues as well as skeletal structure were free of traumatic injury;
- There was a residual cone of foam identified within her nostrils and oral cavity, which is often observed in cases of drowning (this finding dispels any contention that there was cotton wool in her nose)
- The skin changes observed were from prolonged immersion with ‘washerwoman’ changes noted on bilateral hands and soles (washerwoman changes are also consistent in cases of drowning)
- The skin was found to be intact and free from antemortem injuries; (Meaning that she did not receive any injuries to her body prior to her death)
- The sphenoid sinus was found to have approximately 1ml of liquid (this is the air space located in the brain consistent with drowning)
- Liquid also found in the lungs of the deceased, which is consistent with drowning.
Additionally, as stated above, a comprehensive toxicological study of the blood and gastric contents is being conducted by the National Medical Services (NMS) Laboratories in the United States. Also, tissue specimens are undergoing histological analysis by Mount Sinai’s board-certified forensic and diagnostic pathologists in the United States.
The purpose of the post-mortem toxicology analysis is to detect, identify, and quantify drugs, alcohol, poisons, or other toxic substances present in the deceased’s body. This analysis helps determine whether any of these substances were present and, if so, whether they contributed to the death of the deceased.
It is hoped that this statement brings clarity to the matter. The Guyana Police Force hereby advises against the dissemination of malicious and unfounded rumors, fanciful and uneducated opinions and reckless speculations on this very grave and important matter.
