Following a more than four-hour-long forensic autopsy conducted today on the body of 11-year-old Adrianna Younge, it was revealed that she died by drowning. This was disclosed by Attorney-at-Law Darren Wade, the lawyer for the Younge’s family, during a press briefing on Monday night.
Adrianna’s family had long suspected that her death was not an accident and had therefore requested to have their own pathologist observe the autopsy.
The autopsy was conducted by a team of top international forensic experts: Dr. Glenn A. Rudner of Mount Sinai Hospital, New York; Dr. Gary L. Collins, Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Delaware (appointed by Adrianna’s family); and Dr. Shubhakar Karra Paul, the government-appointed international pathologist from Barbados. Wade confirmed that they all concluded she died by drowning.
When questioned about the bruises seen on Adrianna’s hands and knees, Wade stated that, “based on the determination and based upon the findings of the pathologists, there were no broken bones, they could not have determined injuries to her body, that is to say inflicted injuries to the body.”
Further, he stated that the pathologists were unable to determine the kind of water found in her system was pool water or tap water.
He said too that the results indicated that the discolouration of the skin was consistent with “water damage” and there was no finding to support that she was sexually assaulted.
This morning, Adrianna’s body was taken to the Balwant Singh Hospital for a CAT scan to examine for internal bleeding and other injuries that could easily be missed during the autopsy. Her body was then transported to the GPHC mortuary where the autopsy was conducted.
It was chaos today as riled-up protesters and members of the Guyana Police Force faced off for hours outside the hospital while the autopsy was being done.
Adrianna’s body was discovered on April 24 in the pool of the Double Day Hotel, Tuschen East Bank Essequibo, the day after she was first reported missing. Multiple searches were subsequently conducted before her body surfaced, sparking national outrage, protests, and urgent demands for justice.
