Adriana Younge drowned in the pool, sank to the bottom, then floated up the following morning – PME – INews Guyana
Three internationally-recognised pathologists have concluded that 11-year-old Adriana Younge drowned in the pool of the Double Day Hotel, Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo.
This conclusion was supported by evidence gathered during the examination of the child’s body on April 28.
Younge was last seen in the pool at around 13:01hrs on April 23. Relatives say after she was reported missing, a search conducted in the pool but her body was not found.
The girl’s body was found floating in the pool the following day, on April 24.
Relatives have speculated that she may have been lured or taken into the hotel by unknown persons, where she might have been assaulted sexually and killed before being dumped in the pool, or that she might have been forcibly drowned in a bathtub and her body was subsequently placed back in the pool, or she may have been a victim of ritual sacrifice. The family reported seeing cotton wool in her nose when her body was recovered.
FINDINGS
However, the three pathologists – Dr Glenn Rudner, Dr Gary Collins, and Dr Shubhakar Karra Paul – have reported that the post-mortem imaging showed no evidence of acute injury.
Additionally, the results of toxicological analysis of blood and gastric samples collected during the autopsy are consistent with endogenous post-mortem production
of ethanol.
DNA analysis of any potential suspects was also negative, as was a sexual assault kit analysis.
The report also noted that the skin changes seen on the hands and extremities are consistent with prolonged submersion in water. The skin changes seen on Adriana’s forearms are consistent with artifact from partial submersion at the surface of the water.
Additionally, it was found that the presence of frothy mucus in the airways, congested lungs and pleural effusions are consistent with drowning.
The autopsy also did not identify any findings to support the concerns of physical restraint or struggle.
According to the pathologists, drowning in fresh water in a tropical climate with relatively warm temperatures, such as seen in a swimming pool in the Caribbean, usually results in decedents initially sinking to the bottom of the pool. They noted that the sinking is usually faster in thin individuals with low body fat when compared to individuals who are obese.
“A few hours after death has occurred in a submerged body, putrefaction will begin, which will result in the accumulation of gas in the gastrointestinal tract and soft tissues. This accumulation of gas will then cause a decedent to slowly rise to the top of the water and float. The rate of putrefaction and gas formation will depend on factors such as the water temperature and size of the decedent. The warmer the temperature and larger the individual, the faster putrefaction will occur and, as a result, the sooner the body will begin to rise from the bottom and float,” the pathologists have noted.
In conclusion, based on the reported circumstances, the postmortem findings support Younge’s drowning in the pool, sinking to the bottom and floating up the following morning as the early stages of decomposition/putrefaction occurred.
“There is no physical evidence on the postmortem examination to indicate that she was physically removed from the pool, harmed in any way and subsequently placed back in the pool after she was deceased,” the pathologists added in their report.
However, due to the postmortem time interval that elapsed since her death, along with the lack of corroborative evidence, it is not possible to pinpoint an exact time of death.
