News Americas, New York, NY, May 29, 2025: The parents of 11-year-old Guyanese murder victim, Adrianna Younge, are in the United States to receive a posthumous Congressional honor in her name and participate in the 2025 Guyana Independence Parade in Brooklyn, NY this Sunday, which has been dedicated to Adrianna’s memory.
Adrianna’s parents, Mr. Subrian Younge and Ms. Amecia Simon, are scheduled to attend a special event on June 1, 2025, during which U.S. lawmakers will recognize Adriana’s life and legacy. The proclamation is being sponsored by Democratic leader of the United States House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries.
While in the United States, the family is also expected to meet with medical experts to be briefed on the findings of a second autopsy conducted in the U.S. on Adrianna’s body.
In addition to the Congressional honor, Adrianna’s parents and relatives will join the Guyana Independence Parade, which begins at noon on June 1 at Church and Brooklyn Avenues in Brooklyn, New York. The parade will proceed along Church Avenue to Utica Avenue and end at Glenwood Road, where the Unity Concert will be held at 1450 Utica Avenue.
This year’s celebration has been designated “Guyana National Flag Day in the Diaspora” by the Guyana Independence Committee of New York. The Committee is encouraging all attendees to bring and display Guyana’s national flag to show solidarity with the homeland.
Adrianna Younge was a resident of Parika, Guyana. She died on April 24, 2025, after being reported missing the previous day during a family outing at a pool at the Double Day Hotel at Tuschen Village, with her grandmother, Carol Xavier. An alarm was raised and the Guyana Police Force was contacted. Officers informed Adrianna’s parents that they possessed surveillance footage showing Adrianna leaving the hotel with an unidentified man, and advised them to return home.
The family declined to leave and remained outside the hotel overnight, supported by community members and concerned citizens who were alerted through live streams on social media and joined in the effort to locate Adrianna. Despite their persistence, hotel management and police restricted access, preventing a comprehensive search of the premises.
After an extensive search and overnight vigil, Adrianna’s body was discovered the following morning, April 24, 2025, floating vertically in the hotel’s pool. The pool, with a maximum depth of 8 feet, had been searched multiple times by family members, a swimming instructor, other hotel guests, and police officers, with no prior sighting of her body. On the morning of April 24, 2025, a large group of residents gathered outside the Double Day Hotel in Tuschen, Guyana, calling for answers regarding the disappearance of the 11-year-old. Police reinforcements were deployed to the scene to manage the growing crowd and secure the premises.
At approximately 10:30 a.m., some members of the crowd breached the police line and entered the hotel. Soon after, Adrianna’s body was found in the hotel’s swimming pool. Questions were raised about the circumstances of the discovery, as the pool had reportedly been searched multiple times without finding her remains.
Police officers removed Adrianna’s body from the scene and transported it to the Leonora Hospital. The body was later transferred to Ezekiel’s Funeral Home in Vreed-en-Hoop. Authorities stated that the body had been sealed prior to the transfer.
Following the discovery, unrest escalated. Fires were reported at the hotel and at a residence linked to the hotel’s ownership.
Subsequently, Assistant Commissioner of Police Khalid Mandall, Regional Commander at the time, came under public scrutiny. Criticism intensified after initial police communications reportedly claimed Adrianna had been seen leaving the hotel, a claim later challenged by the family. Public demonstrations were held on April 25, 2025, outside the Leonora Police Station, with calls for Mandall’s removal from the position.
Protests erupted across Guyana, sparking widespread public anger and calls for accountability. On April 25, demonstrators blocked the main West Demerara Highway, using tires and other debris to obstruct traffic, effectively halting travel between the capital, Georgetown, and the western regions. Riot police were deployed, and reports indicated that officers opened fire on protesters. Deputy Commissioner of Police Simon McBean was dispatched from Georgetown to help de-escalate tensions.
The following day, the Guyana government announced that Regional Commander Khalid Mandall, who had overseen the initial police response, had been transferred to another division. The announcement drew further criticism, prompting renewed protests. Mandall was subsequently placed on administrative leave.
Widespread demonstrations continued as protesters accused the police of mishandling the investigation and alleged collusion with the hotel management. Public concern intensified after the announcement of preliminary autopsy results.
On April 28, an autopsy was conducted by three international pathologists: Dr. Glenn A. Rudner of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, Dr. Shubhakar Karra Paul of Barbados, and Trinidad-and-Tobago born Dr. Gary L. Collins, Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Delaware. The examination, conducted at Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, took nearly five hours and occurred amid a heavy police presence and further protests.
The pathologists concluded that Adrianna died by drowning. However, her father, Subrian Younge, publicly rejected the finding. The pathologists clarified that while the cause of death was identified, the manner of death – whether accidental or otherwise – must be determined by the ongoing police investigation.
Following the release of the autopsy findings, Guyana President Irfaan Ali addressed the nation in a televised statement. His remarks, interpreted by some as conclusive about the circumstances of Adrianna’s death, prompted additional backlash and civil unrest. Protests intensified, disrupting businesses and prompting flight diversions from Cheddi Jagan International Airport.
In response, authorities charged several protest participants with terrorism, including Tianna Lewis-King, a Ministry of Health employee.
Attorney Dr. Dexter Todd, representing the Younge family, called on the Guyana government to invite international law enforcement agencies — including the FBI, Scotland Yard, or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police — to lead an independent investigation. Instead, the government brought in retired RCMP detective Leonard McCoshen to review evidence. McCoshen later stated publicly that he lacked prior experience in such investigations.
Adrianna’s body remains unburied as her family continues to seek justice. On May 20, 2025, Dr. Todd confirmed that her remains were transported to the United States for a second autopsy.
Her death now remains “under investigation” but continues to garner significant global attention – both in Guyana and among the diaspora.
For more information on the Sunday event, visit celebrateguyananyc.com
