Additional Coverage:
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic – A University of Pittsburgh student is missing after a spring break trip to the Dominican Republic took a tragic turn. Authorities are focusing their search on the beach where 20-year-old Sudiksha Konanki was last seen going for a swim early Thursday morning. Konanki’s clothes were found on a nearby beach bed, according to police sources.
Konanki, a legal permanent US resident and Indian citizen, was vacationing with a group of students, including another Loudoun County, Virginia resident, at a Punta Cana resort. The group had been at a nightclub Wednesday night and then headed to the beach around 4 a.m.
Thursday. While the others returned to their hotel around 6 a.m., Konanki remained on the beach with a man whose name has not been released.
According to a Dominican Republic investigative police report, the man told authorities that he and Konanki went swimming and were caught in a large wave. He said he returned to shore, became ill, and fell asleep on a beach bed.
Upon waking, Konanki was gone. Security footage shows the man returning to his hotel room at 9:55 a.m.
While Dominican officials initially indicated they believe Konanki drowned, the investigation is ongoing. The man is not considered a suspect at this time.
Authorities have expanded the search perimeter and are treating the case as an accident. The FBI, the US Embassy in the Dominican Republic, the Dominican National Police, and the Dominican Prosecutor’s office are jointly investigating the disappearance.
Investigators plan to re-interview everyone involved, including hotel staff and the man last seen with Konanki, and are reviewing all available security footage.