Adriana Younge’s Family Questions Integrity of Local Police Despite Canadian Expert’s Involvement
By Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA – The government’s announcement that a retired expert from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has been recruited to assist the Guyana Police Force in the ongoing investigation into the death of 11-year-old Adriana Younge is being met with skepticism and disappointment by the child’s family.
During a press briefing on Friday, Dexter Todd, attorney for the Younge family, raised concerns about the integrity and capability of the local law enforcement agency, stating bluntly:
“They don’t believe that the police force has any integrity or any capability of properly investigating this matter.”
The government revealed Thursday that Leonard Makosian, a former RCMP officer with two decades of experience in serious and major crime investigations, will soon begin working on the case. However, Todd questioned the authority under which Makosian would operate, given that he is a retired foreign expert not attached to any official investigative body in Guyana.
“Is he going to be answerable to anyone? Is he going to have serious limitations because the local police have already been doing a sloppy job?”
Todd noted that the family and many in civil society had hoped for international investigative agencies such as the FBI or Scotland Yard to be engaged instead, emphasizing their well-established ethical codes and investigative standards.
“There’s a level of professionalism, transparency, and global credibility that comes with agencies like the FBI or Scotland Yard. That’s the kind of assurance the family needs.”
In a startling revelation, the family’s attorney confirmed that police only recently reached out to collect witness statements—two weeks after Adriana’s death.
“I was contacted yesterday to have witnesses give statements. But by now, investigators should’ve already had a complete list of persons who were near the pool, who searched the area, and who last saw Adriana.”
Adriana Younge was reported missing on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, after visiting the Double Day Hotel in Tuschen with her grandmother and other family members. Despite an immediate search, her body was found floating in the hotel pool the following morning—a pool that had allegedly already been searched.
The incident has sparked nationwide protests, allegations of police negligence, and demands for independent oversight.
