Hundreds of Caribbean nationals gathered in Brooklyn on April 28 for a candlelight vigil honoring 11-year-old Adrianna Younge, whose suspicious death and discovery in a Guyana hotel pool has sparked global calls for justice.
The vigil is one of several held in recent weeks, with similar demonstrations taking place in Guyana, the United Kingdom, and Barbados. Adrianna’s body was found last month in the swimming pool of the Double Day Hotel on Guyana’s west coast, shortly after she disappeared during a family outing.
Though her death was ruled a drowning by a joint autopsy team from Guyana, the United States, and Barbados, many questions remain. Community members and relatives continue to raise concerns over how and when she died.
During the Brooklyn gathering, organizer Melissa Atwell Holder, a native of Guyana, questioned the official findings, noting that the pool where Adrianna was found had reportedly been searched several times before her body was discovered.
Family members and villagers in Adrianna’s home community of Tuschen believe she may have been murdered, possibly as part of a ritualistic act. Early police reports that suggested she left the hotel with a man were later retracted. Her relatives called the report a cover-up aimed at protecting the hotel’s powerful owners.
Public outrage led to swift action. A regional police commander was placed on leave. The Double Day Hotel, where another suspicious death occurred in 2012, was later burned down. Authorities have not confirmed whether the fire was set by protesters or insiders.
The owner of the Double Day Hotel, Bhojnarine Bhola, was released from police custody following the expiration of the statutory detention period. Although released, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) confirmed that Bhola has been blacklisted from leaving the country.
At a virtual press briefing, attorney Darren Wade, who represents the Adrianna Younge family, confirmed that a team of pathologists found no signs of inflicted injuries or broken bones. The autopsy, which lasted four hours, determined that Adrianna died by drowning.
The forensic exam was conducted by Dr. Glenn A. Rudner of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, Barbadian government pathologist Dr. Shubhakar Karra Paul, and Dr. Gary L. Collins, Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Delaware. Family physician Dr. Caleb McCloggan observed the procedure.
Despite the findings, Adrianna’s family remains unconvinced, citing visible dark marks on her body. Pathologists attributed these to post-mortem water damage and early decomposition.
The investigation into Adrianna Younge’s death remains ongoing.
