Jagdeo sees no need to give Adriana’s family autopsy report
Guyana’s Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has dismissed concerns raised by the family of 11-year-old Adriana Younge regarding the provision of a copy of the preliminary autopsy report. The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has already publicly outlined the findings, and they are waiting on the toxicology report to issue the final report. The GPF issued a statement outlining the findings, and Dr. Todd has since submitted a formal written request for a copy of the preliminary findings but received no response from the police.
The GPF has acknowledged receiving the information, and Adriana’s family has been requesting a physical copy of the preliminary report rather than the public statement the police issued. Three weeks have passed since the post-mortem examination (PME) was conducted on Adriana’s body, which determined that the child drowned. On May 7, the police issued a press statement with preliminary findings but did not provide a formal report to the family. However, just hours later, the GPF released a public statement outlining what it described as “preliminary findings” from the PME.
In a detailed seven-point release, the GPF outlined its preliminary autopsy findings: no evidence of sexual assault, no traumatic injuries, soft tissues and skeletal structure were unremarkable, foam cone found in nostrils and mouth, “washerwoman” skin changes, no antemortem injuries, liquid in the sphenoid sinus, a brain cavity, also consistent with drowning, and liquid in lungs, another key indicator of drowning.
Dr. Todd confirmed that, despite formally requesting a copy of the report, he nor the family had received the preliminary autopsy findings. Adriana’s body was discovered by her father, Subryan Younge, in the swimming pool of the Double Day Hotel at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, on April 24, nearly 20 hours after she was reported missing during a family swimming trip. The PME was conducted on April 28 by Barbadian pathologist Dr Shubhakar Karra Paul at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
Although the PME confirmed drowning as the cause of death, the exact time of death remains unknown, and toxicology results are pending. Adriana’s family has formally requested an independent review of the PME documentation and confirmed that a second autopsy will be conducted in the United States. The body is expected to be flown out by next week.
