The mysterious disappearance of a University of Pittsburgh student who vanished while on a spring break trip in the Dominican Republic entered a fifth day Monday as authorities combed the island for clues.
Sudiksha Konanki, 20, was last seen before dawn Thursday while walking on a beach at Riu Republica Resort in Punta Cana, according to the Dominican Civil Defense. CNN, citing a local police source, said authorities were interviewing a young man believed to have been with Konanki shortly before her disappearance.
The police source told CNN surveillance cameras captured five women and one man leaving the beach at about 6 a.m. Thursday while Konanki apparently stayed behind with a young man. Surveillance video also shows the man leaving the beach area four hours later without Konanki, a native of India whose family lives in Loudon 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.”
Pittsburgh student missing: Was on spring break trip to the Dominican Republic
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 at the resort.
“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 is urging 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.”
Konanki’s LinkedIn profile says she is a 2022 graduate of the prestigious Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. The missing person posters described Konanki as 5 feet and 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 hand and a multicolored beaded bracelet on her left hand, according to the posters.
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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 Konanki’s 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 in conducting a thorough search.
“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 has issued travel advisory
In June, the State Department posted a level 2 travel advisory, which calls for exercising “increased caution.”
“Violent crime, including armed robbery, homicide, and sexual assault, is a concern throughout the Dominican Republic,” the advisory states.
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 concludes.
Contributing; Thao Nguyen
