Eleven-year-old Adriana Younge was laid to rest on Sunday during a solemn and well-attended funeral service, following weeks of unrest and disquiet. The service began with a viewing at Sandy’s Funeral Home on the West Coast of Demerara (WCD) and continued at the Vergenoegen tarmac, where hundreds gathered to pay their final respects.
Mourners dressed in red lined the streets and service grounds. Adriana’s body was placed in a small pink casket, dressed in a pink gown adorned with a large bow, and a silver crown rested on her head. Floral arrangements, balloons, and framed photographs decorated the venue as family members, schoolmates, and community members gathered in tearful tribute.
From the tarmac, her body was taken to the Vergenoegen Cemetery, where the casket was lowered into the ground. The burial was conducted peacefully, in keeping with the family’s request for a dignified farewell.
Adriana was found dead in the swimming pool of the Double Day Hotel in Tuschen on April 24. Her death sparked national outrage, raising questions about the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The first post-mortem, conducted on April 28 by three international pathologists—Dr. Glenn Rudner (United States), Dr. Shubhakar Karra Paul (Barbados), and Dr. Gary Collins (United States)—unanimously determined the cause of death to be drowning, with no evidence of physical violence or sexual assault.
Despite these findings, protests erupted across the country, leading to violent clashes in Georgetown and along the WCD. Roads were blocked, tear gas was deployed, and buildings were damaged, resulting in at least two fatalities. A nationwide curfew was imposed to restore order.
In the days following, Adriana’s family arranged for a second autopsy in the United States. Dr. Carol Terry, the Chief Medical Examiner for Gwinnett County, Georgia, reviewed the case and confirmed there was no evidence of trauma or sexual assault, noting signs consistent with drowning.
With both autopsy reports supporting the original findings, Adriana was finally laid to rest nearly two months after her passing. Her death has been one of the most emotionally charged events in recent memory, but Sunday’s service provided a moment of reflection and closure.
Adriana is remembered by her family as a joyful, kind-hearted child who loved to dance and play with her cousins. As the sun set over Vergenoegen, her family and supporters stood in quiet remembrance, hoping to bring a painful chapter to a close.
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