Justice Demanded as 11-Year-Old Adriana Younge Laid to Rest Amid Tears, Outrage.
By Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA – The funeral of 11-year-old Adriana Sariah Younge, the Perka Salem Primary School pupil whose questionable death in a hotel pool sent shockwaves through Guyana, was held on Saturday, June 22, 2025, at the Vergenoegen Cemetery.
Family, friends, and mourners gathered in grief and anger, demanding accountability and justice as the child was laid to rest nearly two months after her lifeless body was retrieved from the Double Day Hotel pool on April 24. Her death remains mired in controversy.
“The Guyana Police Force failed her. The powers that be failed her—not once, not twice, but repeatedly,” a family member lamented during the service.
Mourners refused to stay silent. Through tearful eulogies and fierce testimonies, relatives and supporters voiced frustration over what they described as red tape, delayed justice, and lack of transparency.
“No child deserved that. She deserved a future full of dreams, laughter, and life,” one mourner declared. “We owe it to her never to be silent.”
Although three pathologists concluded that Adriana died by drowning, a second opinion provided by Dr. Carol Terry, Chief Medical Examiner of Gwinnett County, Georgia, cast doubt on that conclusion. Dr. Terry stated that she would be reluctant to call Adriana’s death a drowning, highlighting that such a diagnosis must be made by exclusion, not assumption.
Public outcry over the case has intensified, with activists, citizens, and advocacy groups demanding justice, answers, and policy reform.
Nicole Cole, a member of the Rights of the Child Commission, called for systemic changes to safeguard children in hospitality spaces:
“Every hotel or recreational facility should have a child protection policy and a trained child protection officer on duty. It should be mandatory to have a lifeguard present whenever children access these facilities.”
Cole urged the government and the tourism industry to ensure that international child safety standards are implemented and enforced.
The incident has raised serious questions about child safety in Guyana, the effectiveness of law enforcement investigations, and the overall protection of minors in public and private spaces.
As the investigation continues, the public’s demand for truth and justice grows louder. Adriana’s name has become a symbol of both sorrow and resistance—a reminder that silence can be complicity.
“I will not whisper through this grief. I will not bow to silence, because silence protects the wicked,” a mourner said firmly.