THE Guyana Police Force (GPF) has strongly refuted claims made by attorney-at-law Dexter Todd, who alleged that police failed to contact the father of the late 11-year-old Adriana Younge to obtain a statement during the course of their investigation.

In a detailed release issued Saturday, the GPF stated that the allegations are “wholly and deliberately untrue,” pointing instead to a documented series of attempts by senior officers to engage Adriana’s parents—particularly her father, Subrian Younge—over several weeks.

According to the police, the first direct effort was made on April 24, 2025, when the Officer in Charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Regional Division #3 approached Mr. Younge at the Double Day Hotel, Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE).

He was invited to the station the same day to give a statement, but failed to do so.

The police said additional efforts were made on May 1, 2025, when the Officer once again reached out—this time by telephone—to the family’s former attorney, Daren Wade.

The intention was to facilitate statements from both Adriana’s mother, Amecia Simon, and her father. However, police were informed that the family would only come in after the funeral.

Subsequent follow-up calls were made on May 8 and 9, 2025, this time involving direct communication between the Officer in Charge of the CID and attorney Todd.

The police noted that while some relatives complied and visited the station, Adriana’s father again did not appear.

What was “strange,” the release stated, was that during these conversations, Todd acknowledged that while calling for justice was important, the relatives also had a responsibility to cooperate with the investigation by giving statements.

The GPF said its final documented attempt occurred on May 16, 2025, when the same officer again spoke to Todd by phone and asked for Mr. Younge to visit the station.

“On this occasion, the officer was told by the attorney that he would get back to him. No date or time was set,” the statement read.

The police have accused the attorney of publicly misrepresenting the facts surrounding the investigation and have raised questions about his motives in this highly sensitive matter.

“This raises significant questions regarding the attorney’s integrity,” the Police Force said.

They have also pledged to respond point-by-point to what they called a “barrage of blatant misrepresentations” once the time is appropriate.

Moreover, the release added, “Todd conveniently omitted that he had expressed tremendous confidence” in the investigative capabilities of Mr. Leonard McCoshen, the retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Major Crimes Investigator brought in for support.

The statement noted that the attorney had expressed confidence in the independent investigator, telling him, “Your input and recommendation can assist greatly in this matter.”

The GPF ended its statement by reaffirming its commitment to conducting a thorough, impartial, and professional investigation.

Adriana was found dead on April 24, 2025, in the swimming pool of the Double Day Hotel. She had visited the hotel the previous day with family members.

Adriana, a pupil of the Parika Salem Primary School, had recently completed the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), and was eagerly awaiting her results, which are scheduled for release in June.

Following the discovery of her body at the hotel, enraged protesters, allegedly, set the building on fire and looted its contents. The home of the hotel’s proprietor was also torched. Adriana’s death had sparked fiery protests across the country.

Three internationally respected forensic pathologists unanimously concluded that the child died by drowning. Samples from her body were sent for testing at both Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and the National Medical Services Laboratory in the United States of America (USA).

Her family maintains that while the autopsy confirmed drowning as the cause of death, it did not determine the manner of death—leaving open the possibility of murder by forced drowning. The family suspects foul play. Adriana is yet to be buried.