Last Updated on Saturday, 17 May 2025, 20:13 by Writer
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Saturday said several efforts had been made to interview the father of 11-year-old Adriana Younge, whose body was found in a pool on April 24, in response to the family lawyer saying that so far Mr Subrian Younge had not yet been questioned.
“Police records reveal that several requests and attempts were made to accommodate the grieving father of Adriana Younge to give a statement,” the police force said in response to Attorney-at-Law Dr Dexter Todd’s claim in a statement to sections of the media.
Dr Todd did not immediately respond to a request by Demerara Waves Online News for comment.
Dr Todd said the government-hired retired-Canadian police criminal investigator, Leonard McCoshen was shocked that weeks after the discovery of Younge’s body, the father – who had been present at the hotel from the moment the alarm was raised and who had removed the body from the pool at the Double Day Hotel at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo – had never been interviewed and no statement was taken from him.
Recognising the importance of these interviews, Dr Todd said McCoshen promised to ensure that both the mother and father are interviewed by police because of their “essential role in the investigation.”
Attorney General, Anil Nandlall said in an interview with Caribbean Tea, on its YouTube channel, on Saturday that Mr McCoshen was contracted by the Guyana government and was sworn in as a member of the GPF to conduct the investigations into the circumstances surrounding the drowning of Younge.
Caribbean Tea would be broadcast at https://youtube.com/@caribbeantea?si=OTSbLRGIwD4xYbKV on Sunday at a time to be scheduled.
The GPF said Mr Younge was first directly approached on April 24th, 2025 at the Double Day Hotel by the Officer in Charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Regional Police Division #3 and invited to visit the station the same day to give a statement to the police but that was not done.
The law enforcement agency said records also revealed that the officer again on May 1st, 2025, via phone call spoke to Attorney-at-Law Daren Wade about having the relatives of Adriana Younge, particularly her father and mother, visit the station to give statements but on this occasion, they said they would come after the funeral.
Further attempts were made on May 8th and 9th, 2025, when the CID officer of Regional Division #3, via phone call, spoke with Dr Todd about having the relatives give statements.
Police said, however, other relatives except the father of Adrianna Younge showed up.
“This was strange since during these conversations with the attorney, Todd told the officer that he understood that calling for justice was one thing but that the relatives had a responsibility to come in to the police to give statements,” the police force added.
Additionally, on May 16th, 2025, the officer, via phone call again spoke with Dr Todd about having the father of Adriana visit the station to give a statement.
On that occasion, according to the police force, the officer was told by the attorney that he would get back to him so no date or time was set when the father would be available to give a statement to the police.
Police did not address several other claims by Dr Todd in his statement, but said it would in due course respond to his “barrage of blatant misrepresentations” of the facts by that lawyer about what was said “exactly” during the meeting between himself, the bereaved family members of the deceased, and the “distinguished” retired Canadian police Major Crimes Investigator.
“This raises significant questions regarding the Attorney’s motives for inaccurately reporting to the public the facts in this highly sensitive matter,” the police force added.
The Police Force said Dr Todd conveniently omitted in his press release that he had expressed tremendous confidence in the investigative capabilities of Mr McCoshen.
His exact words to the independent investigator are, “Your input and recommendation can assist greatly in this matter.”
The GPF said it “remains committed to a thorough, impartial, and professional investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Adriana Younge.”
A post-mortem conducted by three foreign forensic pathologists found that she died by drowning.
They are awaiting the results of toxicology and DNA tests from advanced laboratories in the United States before delivering their final report.
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