By Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News
The body of 11-year-old Adriana Young was discovered Thursday afternoon in the pool of the Double Day Hotel, Tushian, on the East Bank of Essequibo. The discovery followed a frantic search launched after the young girl was reported missing on Wednesday, shortly after she had been swimming with relatives at the facility.
According to relatives, Adriana vanished without explanation, sparking alarm and suspicion. “They got there around 10 AM. By quarter to two, the child was gone. No one could account for her,” one family member told HGP Nightly News.
Initial claims from the Guyana Police Force that Adriana had entered a car — reportedly supported by CCTV footage — have since been discredited. Investigators later admitted that no such surveillance footage was available to support that version of events. The only footage reviewed by the parents and Crime Investigation Department officers showed no signs of Adriana leaving the property.
What followed raised even more questions. The child’s body was eventually discovered in the hotel’s pool by her father, who described the harrowing moment through tears. “I jumped over the fence and ran straight to the pool,” he recalled. “I plugged it and found my daughter.”
Family members say hotel staff and police acted suspiciously from the start, with little urgency shown during the crucial early hours after Adriana’s disappearance. “There were at least four to five staff present. People were inside, carrying on with business like nothing happened,” a relative recounted.
Adding to the controversy, visible marks of violence were found on Adriana’s body, suggesting foul play. This discovery has intensified public outcry and prompted President Irfaan Ali to order a special investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.
An independent pathologist is expected to arrive in Guyana on Thursday evening to conduct a post-mortem examination.
