TUSCHEN, EBE – More than two months after 11-year-old Adriana Younge was found dead in a hotel pool, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum says the case remains open, with investigators still working to piece together what happened during the hours she was missing.
Blanhum provided the update on Tuesday during the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) livestreamed programme Safeguarding Our Nation.“Detectives were advised to continue further investigation and on completion, the case file will be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for her legal opinion,” he said.
Adriana was reported missing on April 23. Her body was discovered the next day in the pool of the Double Day Hotel at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo. Her death stunned the country, raising questions about how a child could vanish and later be found lifeless at a location previously searched. It also triggered public criticism of how the police handled the initial missing person’s report.
Two autopsy reports later confirmed she had drowned. No signs of physical violence or sexual assault were found. Still, for many, the pain remains raw and the questions unanswered. Blanhum acknowledged this during Tuesday’s programme, speaking not just as a police officer, but as a parent.
“As a father, I also felt the heartbreak of this case. It affected us all,” he said. “I wish to take this opportunity to express my sincere condolences to the family members of Adriana Younge. It was a tragic loss that shook the entire nation and we have learnt from it.
”He also expressed frustration over how the case was discussed in public, stating that “persons with sinister motives and lawless behaviour” had used the tragedy to push falsehoods.One such claim came from the family’s lawyer, who said on June 24 that police had not handed over the autopsy report. But Blanhum disputed this, sharing an image of a signature that he said confirmed the report had been formally delivered to the lawyer’s office on June 16, even though the investigation was still active.
The police’s handling of the case has led to internal consequences as well. Region Three Police Commander Khalid Mandall, several other officers, and a civilian attached to the CCTV command centre are all on administrative leave.Mandall and the officers were sent home amid scrutiny over their initial response.
The civilian was placed on leave after allegedly giving false information that Adriana had left the hotel in a red Toyota Raum, leading to a police press release that was later proven wrong.After Adriana’s body was found at the hotel pool, the GPF issued a second statement correcting the earlier report.
Adriana was laid to rest on June 22. Her story, however, remains unfinished in the eyes of many Guyanese who continue to demand clarity, accountability, and justice.
