U.S. Medical Examiner Calls Adriana Younge’s Death ‘Highly Suspicious,’ Urges Full Criminal Probe
By Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News
GEORGIA, USA — The death of 11-year-old Adriana Younge is “highly suspicious,” says Dr. Carol Terry, Chief Medical Examiner of Gwinnett County, Georgia, who conducted the second autopsy on the child’s remains. Dr. Terry is now calling on the Guyana Police Force to launch a full-scale criminal investigation into the case.
“What I’ve been told regarding the circumstances are so suspicious that I really think a very thorough investigation is warranted,” Dr. Terry told HGP Nightly News in a candid interview following her examination of the child’s body.
Contradictory Conclusions
Her remarks follow the Guyana Police Force’s announcement that Adriana Young died by drowning, citing findings from a postmortem conducted in Guyana by three pathologists, including one from the United States. The police said there were no signs of trauma or foul play and that toxicology results indicated ethanol levels consistent with post-mortem decomposition.
However, Dr. Terry disagrees with the conclusiveness of the drowning determination.
“Drowning is a diagnosis of exclusion—you must rule out all other causes first. Just because there’s no visible trauma doesn’t mean a person wasn’t murdered,” she cautioned. “There are ways to kill someone without leaving marks—such as suffocation.”
Calls for Surveillance and Forensic Review
Dr. Terry emphasized the need for investigators to review all surveillance footage from the Double Day Hotel, especially around the time Adriana went missing and later when her body was found.
“They should examine any available video to determine whether she was placed in the pool or what happened in that critical timeframe,” she said.
Dr. Terry noted that the body had already undergone embalming, which may have reduced some forensic value, but she retrieved extensive samples for further analysis in Georgia.
Legal Concerns and Family Pushback
Meanwhile, the family’s attorney, Dr. Dexter Todd, has reiterated that it would be unlawful for the Guyana Police Force to close the investigation in light of new forensic findings.
“The police are not legally allowed to dismiss new evidence,” Dr. Todd stated. “If this second autopsy contradicts the first, they are compelled by law to consider it.”
Adriana Younge’s body was discovered in the pool of the Double Day Hotel on April 24, 2025, one day after she was reported missing at the exact location. The case has since sparked national concern and calls for accountability.
