20-year-old Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student, vanished at the beach of Rio Republica Hotel in Punta Cana. She was staying with five other friends who arrived in the Dominican Republic on March 3. The following Thursday, March 6, she went missing.
Konanki was last seen with another American male college student, Joshua Riibe, the night before. In the surveillance camera footage, they had their arms around each other. The next morning, Riibe was seen walking back to the hotel without Konanki. This led to speculations as to him being a suspect or not. He claimed that they were swept out by a large wave.
“I asked if she was OK. I didn’t hear her answer because I started vomiting all the seawater I’d swallowed. After vomiting, I looked around and didn’t see anyone. I thought she’d grabbed her things and left. I lay down on a beach chair and fell asleep,” NCB Washington reported.
However, authorities later explained that the man last seen with her was never a suspect.
Family’s Request for Legal Declaration of Death
The parents of Konanki sent a letter to the Dominican Republic police stating that they believed she drowned and requested that the police department proceed with the legal declaration of her death. They allude to the fact that the announcement of her death is the next step in the grieving process for the family.
Ongoing Search and Investigation
Riibe, the person last seen with Konanki, had been held in the country for 10 days with police supervision. During a court hearing, he stated he wanted to go home and see his family. According to The New York Times, Riibe is now free to come back to the United States.
Throughout the search development, a multitude of search strategies have been deployed in attempts to find some clues. Tactics such as divers, boats, drones, police dogs and helicopters have all been used in tandem to possibly create leads.
Unfortunately, this tragic loss has only left heartbreak and misery in the many family members and friends who knew Sudiksha Konanki. Ultimately, with the body not being found, this is an ongoing story, as the people and the media have been extremely involved with information for this case. Due to the circumstances, according to CNN, the police department is going to proceed with the legal declaration of Konanki’s death.
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