SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – Authorities are still actively searching for a college student from Virginia who disappeared earlier this month while on a spring break trip to the Dominican Republic with a group of friends.
Sudiksha Konanki, who attends the University of Pittsburgh, was last seen on March 6 during a power outage at the Riu República Hotel located in Punta Cana, a popular beach resort area. The search efforts involve both Dominican law enforcement and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Konanki, age 20, vanished from a beach near the hotel in the early hours of the morning during the blackout. Onlookers explain that she and other hotel guests had stepped outside when the power failed. Despite the outage, her personal items, including her phone and wallet—items her family asserts she always keeps with her—were left behind with friends.
The group, which included five other female students, arrived in the Caribbean nation on March 3 for their spring break vacation.
Konanki hails from Chantilly, Virginia—a suburb close to Washington, D.C. She holds citizenship in India and permanent residency in the United States. Her parents, Subbarayudu and Sreedevi Konanki, have called for an expansion of the investigation into her mysterious disappearance.
The University of Pittsburgh has released a statement indicating they have been in touch with her family and Virginia authorities, offering their support in this challenging time.
As for the current status of the investigation, Dominican authorities have made headway by reinterviewing those who were last in contact with Konanki. Search efforts in the region have ramped up, utilizing technology such as drones, helicopters, and search dogs to examine the waters along the island’s eastern coastline. Recently, Dominican President Luis Abinader reported that the last person to have seen her mentioned an incoming wave striking their group while they were on the beach. Meanwhile, Civil Defense Director Juan Salas noted that they have not yet located her clothing.
As the investigation progresses, authorities and her loved ones continue to hold out hope for new leads or developments in Konanki’s case.
