The funeral of 11-year-old Adriana Younge has been set for Monday, May 5, and her family is urging the public to remain peaceful amidst calls for protests and delaying her burial.
The appeal for peace was made by her aunt, Amika Lewis, in a social media post earlier today (Saturday, May 3, 2025).
In a brief telephone interview with this publication this afternoon, Lewis explained that there are reports of persons wanting to hijack the young girl’s funeral. According to the woman, the family is encouraging persons planning to protest and/or disrupt the burial of Adriana to desist from doing so.
“It has been brought to our (the family’s) attention that persons are planning to protest and stop the burial of Adriana Younge until another post-mortem is done! We do not agree to or condone this action. We will bury Adriana in a peaceful manner on Monday,” Lewis stated in the post shared on Facebook.
She added, “Honour Adriana and the wishes of her family. NO PROTESTS!”
The 11-year-old child’s body was found in the pool at the Double Day at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, on April 24, one day after she went missing. Adriana had gone with relatives to the hotel’s poolside.
A post-mortem examination (PME), conducted by a team of three international pathologists, including one selected by the family, concluded that her cause of death was consistent with drowning.
Dr Glenn A. Rudner of the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and Barbadian pathologist, Dr Shubhakar Karra Paul, both of whom were brought in by the Guyana Government, and the family’s pick, Dr Gary L. Collins, the Chief Medical Examiner of the State of Delaware, conducted the PME.
The autopsy cited classic signs such as fluid in the lungs and ruled out any signs of physical trauma or sexual abuse to the girl’s body.
On Friday, there were reports of the family planning to conduct a second autopsy, to be performed this time by Trinidadian pathologist Dr Hubert Daisley, but they have since opted not to proceed with the second examination.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony has defended the integrity of the original autopsy process. He noted that the procedure was fully documented and witnessed by representatives of the family.
“During the autopsy, this was witnessed not only by the family, Dr. Caleb and with Dr. Collins, the pathologist who participated in the autopsy, but it was also witnessed by a nurse who was present on behalf of the family in the room where the autopsy was being done by a family member who was also there witnessing the autopsy and then they had another person who was doing the video from start to end.”
“So, this whole process was documented from the very beginning right up to the end, and everyone who witnessed this expressed their satisfaction with how this process went. So, we are very clear that it was very transparent, everybody was satisfied, and every single question that was asked of the pathologist was answered,” Dr Anthony noted.
Based on funeral arrangements, Adriana’s body will leave the Ezekiel Funeral Home at 11:00h on Monday and head to her Hyde, Parika, home, thence to the Vergenoegen Rice Mill Tarmac for the funeral service, followed by burial at the Vergenoegen Cemetery.
