From being unable to answer critical questions posed by lawyers representing eleven-year-old Adriana Younge’s family, the Guyana Police Force released a second statement, detailing certain information that could have been provided during the meeting between the sides on Wednesday morning.
In the first press statement, Police Commissioner, Clifton Hicken described the meeting as confidential and that the information requested was not provided so as to safeguard the integrity of the investigation and avoid compromising its outcome.
At the conclusion of the meeting with the Police Commissioner and his team, the legal team during a meeting in front of the Police Headquarters said Mr. Hicken refused to provide information such as who is heading the investigation; the status of the investigation and whether the preliminary autopsy report was available.
However, lead attorney Dexter Todd took to social media, describing Adriana’s death as a homicide. This saw the police commissioner releasing a second statement which contained information that could have been provided to the family and their legal team during the meeting.
The Commissioner also accused attorney Dexter Todd of peddling information on social media, intending to confuse and cause public mischief.
In the second press statement, the police commissioner detailed excerpts of the preliminary report in the force’s possession.
According to the statement – There was no evidence of sexual assault (her external genitalia were examined and found unremarkable with her hymen intact); Her soft tissues as well as skeletal structure were free of traumatic injury; There was a residual cone of foam identified within her nostrils and oral cavity, which is often observed in cases of drowning (this finding dispels any contention that there was cotton wool in her nose); The skin changes observed were from prolonged immersion with ‘washerwoman’ changes noted on bilateral hands and soles (washerwoman changes are also consistent in cases of drowning); The skin was found to be intact and free from antemortem injuries; (Meaning that she did not receive any injuries to her body prior to her death); The sphenoid sinus was found to have approximately 1ml of liquid (this is the air space located in the brain consistent with drowning); and Liquid also found in the lungs of the deceased, which is consistent with drowning.
Further, the statement said a comprehensive toxicological study of the blood and gastric contents is being conducted in the United States. Additionally, tissue specimens are undergoing historical analysis by Mount Sinai’s in the United States.
There was no mention of Adriana’s body being decomposed as was mentioned by several persons including the country’s Head of State, President Irfaan Ali.
While the Guyana Police Force is hoping that its statement brings clarity on the matter it left a bitter taste in the mouths of many, with some saying that the Guyana Police Force cannot be trusted given the misleading information it provided from the inception when Adriana disappeared in the hotel.