GBJ Update: The Adrianna Younge Case — What We Know, What Remains Unanswered, and Who Must Be Heard

GBJ Update: The Adrianna Younge Case — What We Know, What Remains Unanswered, and Who Must Be Heard

On April 23, 2025, eleven-year-old Adrianna Younge disappeared during a family outing to the Double Day Hotel in Tuschen, Guyana. She was last seen alive in the hotel’s swimming pool at approximately 1:29 PM. By 1:33 PM, she was no longer visible in photographs. Despite multiple reported searches conducted by relatives and hotel staff throughout the afternoon and into the following morning, her body was discovered floating in the same pool nearly twenty hours later, on April 24.

An autopsy conducted by international pathologists determined that Adrianna died by drowning. Yet the delay in locating her body, the contradiction between initial reports of visible injuries and later forensic findings, and a false police claim that she had exited the hotel in a red and black vehicle—later retracted—have all contributed to growing public alarm.

The timeline reveals that Adrianna was last confirmed alive at 1:29 PM, with her absence noted just four minutes later. Her body, recovered in the same pool nearly a day later, somehow went undetected by multiple search efforts. Although the official autopsy concluded there were no signs of assault, earlier accounts had mentioned bruising and swelling. The Guyana Police Force’s erroneous statement about her supposed exit in a vehicle further eroded public confidence. Compounding this is the troubling fact that the same hotel was the site of a suspicious drowning in 2012, a case in which charges were brought and eventually dropped.

A credible, transparent investigation into Adrianna’s death would require formal interviews with a range of individuals. These include family members present at the scene, most notably her grandmother Carol Xavier, and anyone who took or disseminated the critical photographs captured at 1:29 and 1:33 PM. Hotel personnel on duty that day—lifeguards (if any), maintenance workers, reception staff, and security officers responsible for monitoring surveillance footage—should also have been questioned. The hotel’s management and ownership must be included, especially given the institution’s prior history. Guests who were in or near the pool during the critical hours and those involved in the subsequent search are essential witnesses. All responding police officers, including those who initially took the missing child report and those responsible for disseminating the false vehicle narrative, as well as their supervisors, must be held to account. Local medical personnel who first examined Adrianna’s body and the international pathologists who conducted the final autopsy provide indispensable perspectives. Additionally, those involved in the 2012 drowning investigation, including surviving relatives of Sadeek Juman and former investigating officers, could offer valuable context. Finally, children’s rights advocates and legal observers must be consulted to help safeguard institutional transparency and public interest.

These interviews are not incidental. They are vital to constructing a reliable timeline, evaluating the truthfulness of reported facts, and determining whether negligence, misconduct, or a willful attempt to mislead the public played any role in what followed Adrianna’s disappearance.

Critical questions remain. How did multiple searches of a confined pool area fail to locate her body? Were those searches conducted by trained professionals, and what methods were used? Could the design, depth, or mechanical features of the pool have concealed her body from view? Why do early reports describing visible injuries contradict the final autopsy findings? Who within the police force authorized the dissemination of false information about her exiting the premises, and have there been any consequences? What accountability, if any, has the hotel faced in light of a similar unresolved drowning in its past? And more broadly, what measures are being taken to restore public trust and ensure institutional competence and integrity in cases involving children?

The death of Adrianna Younge is a profound tragedy. But that tragedy has been deepened by lapses in transparency, inconsistencies in public reporting, and an apparent failure of both law enforcement and institutional oversight. Without a full, transparent accounting—including the interviews and disclosures listed above—the public will be left not with closure, but with a lingering sense of doubt. A version of the truth that feels incomplete—if not manipulated.

The Guyana Business Journal remains committed to pursuing the truth in this matter, and to demanding answers, accountability, and justice—not just for Adrianna, but for all Guyanese children.

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Guyana Business Journal & Magazine

www.guyanabusinessjournal.com

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