Adrianna Younge’s drowning “We want to find the truth; whether it was negligence or foul play” – Jagdeo

…as Canadian expert in suspicious death joins investigation

An expert investigator of suspicious deaths, now a retired member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), has been hired to assist local detectives with the ongoing probe into 11-year-old Adrianna Younge’s death.
Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has said this demonstrates the Guyana Government’s commitment to getting to the bottom of this tragedy, which has sparked widespread public outrage.
“We all were concerned about it as a country; every one of us… We hope that we would find the truth, whether it was through negligence that this child died or foul play. That’s all we’re looking for…so that we can bring this matter to closure and do justice for the child and her parents,” Jagdeo contended at his weekly press conference on Thursday.
According to Vice President Jagdeo, this commitment is reflected in the measures that Government has taken to accommodate transparency in the ongoing investigation into the child’s death.
The young girl’s body was found in a pool at the now gutted Double Day Hotel at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) on April 24 – less than 24 hours after she had gone missing. The child had gone with relatives to the hotel’s poolside, but disappeared shortly after. Her body was found in the hotel’s pool the following day.
A forensic autopsy was conducted by three international pathologists; two were brought in by the Government: Barbadian expert Dr Shubhakar Karra Paul and Dr Glenn A. Rudner of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York; while the third was the Chief Medical Examiner of the State of Delaware, Dr Gary L. Collins, who was selected by the Younge family.
Following a near five-hour-long procedure done on April 28, which included a CT scan and x-ray, the three international experts gave the cause of death as drowning. However, they could not determine where the drowning occurred, nor were they able to establish the exact time of death, because of the decomposition of the body.
Suspicions were raised surrounding the girl’s death after marks were observed on her body after it had been retrieved from the pool. Her relatives had reportedly searched the pool, but had seen no sign of her. However, the findings of the expert pathologists during the forensic autopsy were that the marks were consistent with water damage, and that there was no sign of sexual assault or violence on the young girl’s body.
In addition to being witnessed by family members, their lawyer and family-doctor, the entire post mortem examination was also video-recorded for added transparency.
“No other child or any other death has been investigated at this manner… from the autopsy perspective, ever in the history of our country, because we wanted to get to the truth,” Jagdeo pointed out during Thursday’s press conference.
Moreover, as part of the ongoing investigation by the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF’s) Major Crimes Unit, samples of the pool water as well as DNA samples from the girl’s body were sent overseas for independent forensic analysis. However, there are reports that family members are dissatisfied with the results, and are seeking a second autopsy.

<<Expert, experienced investigator>>
President Dr Irfaan Ali had previously committed to the 11-year-old girl’s family that there would be a thorough investigation into her death. However, family members have already expressed their lack of trust in the Police Force, and have called for an independent international investigation.
In keeping with the Head of State’s commitment, the Home Affairs Ministry announced on Thursday that Government has secured the services of a distinguished retired Staff Sgt. of the RCMP, Leonard McCoshen, a trained and qualified homicide and suspicious death investigator, to assist with the probe.
McCoshen has over 30 years of experience as an investigator of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He had spent 20 of those years attached to the Serious Crimes Branch (SCB) of the Major Crimes Unit (MCU), with the mandate to investigate serious, complex and sensitive matters, mainly homicides and deaths wherein foul play was suspected.
He has also successfully supervised and coordinated over 200 homicides, kidnappings, and other serious and complex investigations.
According to the Home Affairs Ministry, “Mr McCoshen brings a wealth of training, qualifications and experience to the ongoing investigation into the death of Adrianna Younge.”
Moreover, based on Canadian reports, McCoshen has been used as an expert witness by Canadian prosecutors during several trials, for his work as a use-of-force expert and homicide investigator.
As recently as on Wednesday, Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken and two Deputy Commissioners met with the family’s newly retained attorneys, Dexter Todd and Eusi Anderson.
In a statement following that high-level, confidential meeting, the GPF said the engagement was held in good faith, and was aimed at reaffirming its commitment to transparency, accountability, and a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the girl’s death.
The Force has said the attorneys have been assured that the investigation remains open and active, with all leads being pursued; senior oversight is being maintained to ensure impartiality; water samples have been sent abroad for testing as part of a comprehensive forensic probe; additional forensic testing —including toxicology, histopathology, and DNA analysis, has been arranged with facilities in the United States.
In an interview with media operatives following the meeting, legal representatives Dexter Todd and Eusi Anderson said the meeting yielded “no substantive answers” to a series of critical questions surrounding the investigation. They were asked to submit their questions in a formal letter to the Police Commissioner and Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum.
Meanwhile, the child’s funeral – which was slated for May 5 – has been postponed. The announcement was made by family members on the day of the funeral itself.
Days after the discovery of the girl’s body in the hotel’s pool, Commander of Regional Division #3, Assistant Commissioner Khalid Mandall, was went on administrative leave, and two police ranks from the division have been fired for negligence in their handling of the young girl’s case.