Arianna Younge’s death: hotel owner, staff in custody

President Dr Irfaan Ali, during a second visit to the family of Arianna Younge today, confirmed that staff and the owner of the Double Day Hotel and Bar — where the body of the 11-year-old child was found floating in the pool — are in police custody.

He made the disclosure to the East Bank Essequibo family after they sought answers regarding the whereabouts of the proprietor and employees of the establishment.

The Head of State provided an update on the progress of the investigation, reiterating that there was no refusal of the family’s request to have an independent pathologist conduct the child’s post-mortem examination.

A statement from the Guyana Police Force earlier today confirmed that a pathologist of the family’s choice would be in the country tomorrow to conduct the examination alongside the police’s independent pathologist.

The President also informed the family that Assistant Commissioner Khalid Mandall, the Regional Commander who was initially transferred for his handling of the matter, is now on administrative leave, while three other police ranks have been placed on close arrest.

President Ali last night criticised protest action after residents burnt tyres and blocked the public road at Leonora.

This comment by the President was met with objection by the family, who said they have no confidence in the police and contended that people in their shoes would see the matter differently.

However, they acknowledged that commuters were inconvenienced but claimed that they understood the reason for the uproar and offered their support to them.

President Ali registered his full support for peaceful protest and assured the family that they would be kept updated on the investigations.

They were informed that the authorities were in receipt of their lawyer’s letter sent to the police and that the contents of the letter were being examined.

The President, when asked following his meeting with the family about his confidence in the leadership of the Guyana Police Force — given the Younge matter and other incidents that were poorly handled — said the process must be allowed to work.

On Friday, Sergeant Philbert Kendall was charged with the murder of 21-year-old Lindener Ronaldo Peters, who was shot and killed in Linden on 7 April.

That shooting sparked protest action in Linden, and during the protest, a protester was shot and killed. President Ali had promised a thorough investigation into this incident.

The charge against Kendall follows an investigation led by a team from the Regional Security System (RSS), which was appointed to examine the circumstances surrounding Peters’ death.

According to a police report, Kendall has been remanded to prison.