GUYANA: Gov’t calls in retired Canadian police homicide investigator to probe Adriana Younge’s death

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SOURCE: demerarawaves- A retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) homicide investigator has been hired by the Guyana government to help probe the circumstances surrounding the death of 11-year-old Adriana Younge whose body was found in a hotel pool at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo on April 24, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Thursday.

The Home Affairs Ministry said Mr. Leonard McCoshen, a trained and qualified homicide and suspicious death investigator, would be assisting in the investigation.

Government said Mr. McCoshen has over 30 years of experience as an investigator with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

He had spent 20 of those years attached to the Serious Crimes Branch (SCB) in the Major Crimes Unit (MCU), with the mandate to investigate serious, complex, and sensitive matters, mainly homicides and deaths where foul play was suspected.

He has successfully supervised and coordinated over 200 homicides, kidnappings, and other serious and complex investigations.

In this regard, Mr. McCoshen brings a wealth of training, qualifications, and experience to the ongoing investigation into the death of Adrianna Younge.

The Home Affairs Ministry said the decision to hire Mr McCoshen was in keeping with a promise of President Mohamed Irfaan Ali.

The legal representative of Younge’s family had called for American, British or Canadian investigators to assist with the probe as they had lost all confidence in the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton had also formally requested that foreign investigators be called in to assist his proposed commission of inquiry into the death including the response of the GPF and whether it was politically influenced.

Earlier Thursday, the GPF released several preliminary findings of the post-mortem examination of Younge’s body:

1. There was no evidence of sexual assault (her external genitalia were examined and found unremarkable with her hymen intact)
2. Her soft tissues as well as skeletal structure were free of traumatic injury
3. There was a residual cone of foam identified within her nostrils and oral cavity, which is often observed in cases of drowning (this finding dispels any contention that there was cotton wool in her nose)
4. The skin changes observed were from prolonged immersion with ‘washerwoman’ changes noted on bilateral hands and soles (washerwoman changes are also consistent in cases of drowning)
5. The skin was found to be intact and free from antemortem injuries (meaning that she did not receive any injuries to her body prior to her death)
6. The sphenoid sinus was found to have approximately 1ml of liquid (this is the air space located in the brain consistent with drowning)
7. Liquid was also found in the lungs of the deceased, which is consistent with drowning.

The GPF also said a comprehensive toxicological study of the blood and gastric contents is being conducted by the National Medical Services (NMS) Laboratories in the United States.

Also, police said tissue specimens are undergoing histological analysis by Mount Sinai’s board-certified forensic and diagnostic pathologists in the United States.

“The purpose of the post-mortem toxicology analysis is to detect, identify, and quantify drugs, alcohol, poisons, or other toxic substances present in the deceased’s body. This analysis helps determine whether any of these substances were present and, if so, whether they contributed to the death of the deceased,” the GPF said.

The Police Force also said water samples from the hotel pool have been sent to the United States for testing.

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