'Exhaustive' search for missing student presses on in Dominican Republic
Editor's Note: This page is a summary of news on missing college student Sudiksha Konanki for Monday, March 10. For the latest news, view our file for Tuesday, March 11.
The mysterious disappearance of a University of Pittsburgh student on a spring break trip in the Dominican Republic entered a fifth day Monday as authorities combed the country and ocean waters for clues amid reports Sudiksha Konanki may have drowned.
Konanki, 20, was last seen before dawn Thursday while walking on a beach in the eastern resort town of Punta Cana, according to the Dominican National Police. The agency said helicopters, drones, boats, and divers were carrying out an "exhaustive search by sea, air and land.''
Konanki was vacationing with five women from her school, and surveillance cameras captured five women and one man leaving the beach at about 6 a.m. Thursday, police said in a statement. Konanki apparently stayed behind with a man, and surveillance video shows him leaving the beach area hours later without her.
Police said they were interviewing the man, who was believed to have entered the water with Konanki shortly before her disappearance, to "corroborate the version that he offered" without further details. Authorities have also spoken with other members of the group to narrow down the search area, the statement said.
ABC News, citing three Dominican officials involved in the investigation, said Konanki is believed to have drowned after being overwhelmed by a large wave while swimming. Dominican police did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.
With the increasing days since Konanki's disappearance, the chances of finding her alive become "minimal,'' Civil Defense Director Juan Salas told the Listin Diario newspaper. "What we need to do is find (her body) in the best conditions,'' he said.
In addition to the aerial-sea efforts, the Dominican Civil Defense also brought in a specialized search and rescue K-9 team. The Civil Defense described the handler and his dog, Max, as "an exemplary rescue institution, specialized in locating people living in open spaces."
Konanki is a native of India whose family lives in Loudoun County, Virginia. The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office issued a statement saying Konanki was a permanent resident of the United States who was vacationing with five female college friends. The office said it was "actively assisting" in the investigation.
The statement said the office was working closely with authorities from the State Department, FBI, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations and the University of Pittsburgh police "in support of the ongoing investigation by the Dominican National Police."
Investigators requesting worldwide police alert for Sudiksha Konanki
In an update Monday, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said it was continuing to assist federal law enforcement agencies working with the Dominican National Police and other agencies to determine the whereabouts of Konanki.
"The ongoing investigation includes wide-ranging search efforts, along with a review of surveillance video and telephone records," the sheriff's office said in a statement. "Interviews are also continuing with anyone who may have seen or been with Konanki before she went missing."
The sheriff's office added that it has filed for a Yellow Notice, a worldwide police alert for missing persons. The alert is issued by Interpol.
The sheriff's office noted that there has been "considerable public speculation about what may have happened to Konanki and who may be involved."
"We caution anyone from drawing any unsubstantiated conclusions and are committed to ensuring that a thorough investigation is conducted before any conclusions are reached," the sheriff's office said.
Missing student wanted to pursue a career in medicine
Konanki’s father told CNN she had gone to a party with her friends and some young men they met there.
“My daughter is a very nice girl. She’s ambitious," Subbarayudu Konanki said. "She wanted to pursue a career in medicine.”
He told the Times of India he has traveled to the Dominican Republic, and he urged authorities to expand the investigation. “They’re only searching the water, but I fear something else happened (such as) kidnapping, trafficking," he said. "We don’t think she could survive this long in the ocean."
The University of Pittsburgh issued a statement saying, "University officials are in contact with Sudiksha Konanki's family as well as authorities in Loudoun County, Virginia, and we have offered our full support in their efforts to find her and bring her home safely.''
Konanki's LinkedIn profile says she is a 2022 graduate of the prestigious Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. Missing person posters describe Konanki as 5 feet 3 inches tall with black hair and brown eyes. Konanki was last seen wearing a brown bikini, big round earrings, a metal designer anklet on her right leg, yellow and steel bracelets on her right wrist and a multicolored beaded bracelet on her left wrist, according to the posters.
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., said in a statement on X that he has been in touch with Konanki's family and friends to assist with the search.
"I am very concerned about Sudiksha Konanki's disappearance in the Dominican Republic," Subramanyam said. "I am actively working with federal and international agencies to leverage every possible resource available to bring her home safely. We are all praying for her safe and immediate return home."
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Resort employees aid search
The hotel where Konanki was staying, Riu Republica Resort, issued a statement saying its staff was "deeply concerned" about her disappearance. The statement said an "emergency protocol" had been activated and that hotel employees have been working closely with the police, the navy and other authorities.
"We would like to express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends during this incrediblydifficult time," the statement said. "The safety and well-being of our guests are our highest priority, and we are fully committed to doing everything in our power to assist in this situation."
State Department had issued travel advisory
In June, the State Department posted a level 2 travel advisory for the Dominican Republic, which calls for exercising "increased caution."
"Violent crime, including armed robbery, homicide, and sexual assault, is a concern throughout the Dominican Republic," the advisory says.
The advisory adds that the development of a professional tourist police corps, a 911 system in many parts of the country and a concentration of resources in resort areas mean resorts tend to be better policed than urban areas.
"The wide availability of weapons, the use and trade of illicit drugs and a weak criminal justice system contribute to the high level of criminality on the broader scale," the advisory says.