When Adriana Younge’s mother was shown footage of a child entering a car, she told the officer that it was not her 11-year-old daughter. Despite this, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) proceeded to release a public statement claiming the child had left the hotel in a car. Alliance for Change Leader, Nigel Hughes, says this discrepancy warrants investigation, adding that it forms a significant part of the reason why his party wants overseas help.
Adrianna was later found dead in the pool of the Double Day Hotel, despite it being searched the night before, leaving a massive hole in the police’s statement.
“There clearly was either a perversion of the course of justice or there was an intentional interference with the objective of misleading the investigation into what was a missing person. That must be included in any terms of reference because the police have to say why they would reject the mother’s identification, issue a statement that is contrary to what she said, and what was their intention and motive,” the AFC leader said during a press conference outside of what remains of the Double Day Hotel at Tuschen, EBE.
The GPF has since acknowledged the erroneous report and has launched an internal investigation.
It said, “Following preliminary investigations, it has been determined that certain details contained in the initial statement circulated were inaccurate. As such, the Force is currently reviewing the internal communication processes that led to the release of that statement”.
It added that a comprehensive investigation will be carried out to determine every action taken by the police, including the circumstances under which inaccurate information was disseminated and what led to such information.
Still, no word on its status has been communicated to the public.
The force has also failed to make public, the video of the child entering the car, despite Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo’s demand.
