While President, Dr. Irfaan Ali noted on Monday evening that pathologists have ruled out death by forcible drowning in the case of Adrianna Younge; Darren Wade, lawyer representing the parents of the 11-year-old child, said those words were not used to him by said doctors.
During a brief interview with Guyana Standard this morning, Wade said, “What I heard, there was no violence, there was no harm or anything inflicted on the body. That is what I could speak of. Any word of forcible drowning, those words were not used to me. I cannot speak on that…”
Wade maintained that he was only told that Adrianna died by drowning. During his engagement with the press last evening, he also noted that there were no marks of violence, no broken bones, no inflicted injuries, or evidence of sexual assault.
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.
During his press conference last evening, President Ali said the objectives of the post mortem examination were to identify signs of trauma or injuries to the body, detect signs of sexual violence, collect appropriate forensic samples, document the postmortem examination through photographs and videography, determine the cause of death.
Upon completing the procedure, Ali said that the forensic pathologists ruled out signs of physical and sexual trauma. Due to the state of the decomposition of the body, Ali said the pathologists were unable to provide an exact time of death. “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 in water.” Ali further noted that the toxicology tests are pending.
As of today, Wade said no member of government has responded to the family’s request to have an independent probe into Adrianna’s death.
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.
