A long blackout in Punta Cana, a resort where a missing American college student was on vacation for spring break, could affect her investigation into her loss beotion.
Sudiksha Konanki, 20 years old University of Pittsburgh Students From Loudoun County, Virginia, we last saw them walking along the beach outside the 5-star RIU Republica resort in the early hours of March 6th. She is not yet located.
The resort lost power from around 1:30am on Tuesday, March 4th, with 70% of its power fully recovered by 2am on Thursday, March 6th, with Power fully recovering in Fox News Digital in a statement on Wednesday.
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The hotel company added, “We would like to make it clear that both events are completely irrelevant in connection with the tragic loss of guests Sudiksha Chowdary Konanki, Riu Hotels & Resorts, in response to the publications that link electrical disorders experienced at the RIU Republica Hotel.”
Sudiksha Conanki, a 20-year-old university junior in Pittsburgh, has been missing since March 6th and disappeared during a spring break trip to a five-star resort in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic. (Sudiksha konanki/facebook)
The hotel added that the security cameras around RIU Republica were “operable and in fact there were plenty of lighting, so they recorded high quality images that day and night.”
Security camera footage captured Conanki walking from the hotel bar to the beach around 4:17am on March 6th, including a young man with arms wrapped around his shoulders.
View surveillance footage:
Loudoun County authorities have appointed fellow tourists as interested people as he was the last person to be seen along with Conanki. An American man in his 20s has not been charged with a crime.
Experts say the blackouts are likely not to interfere with the collection of surveillance video footage or cell phone data, but they could complicate authorities' investigation into the mystical disappearance of Conanki.
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On Tuesday, March 11, 2025, people spent their time at the beach at RIU Republica Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Santiago Baez from Fox News Digital)
“If we lose full power, it affects everything in our investigation,” Michael Verden, founder and CEO of Lake Forest Group, former Secret Service agent and NBA security director Michael Verden told Fox News Digital.
Without power, security cameras in certain areas of the hotel could have lost their connection, even if others were still there. In other words, Full Power may have presented a richer picture of Conanki's final move before she disappeared, but it is unclear whether the camera lost connection during a power outage.
The name of the home sheriff of a missing American college student is the name of the person for five days of the five-day search.
Local authorities searched for student Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Conanki, 20, was last seen on March 6th on the beach outside the five-star RIU Republica resort in the Dominican Republic. (Santiago Baez from Fox News Digital)
“It's all evidence,” Verden explained. “How much does a blackout have? Do some cameras stay active? Will all of them remain active?
“If they lose power, that could affect the investigation.”
He added that a blackout could prevent guests from entering a hotel room and thus prevent investigators from deciding when Conanki and her friends last entered the room before her loss of failure.
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Sudiksha Konanki, a US university student, went missing on March 6, 2025 while on vacation with a friend at Punta Cana. (Fox News Graphics)
“The electronic system will give you evidence…and that may be important to show access before her loss,” Verden said. Because keycard information for hotel rooms can help support guest statements about when they were with Conanki and when they returned to the room. The information will help authorities build a timeline for those present during her final move, he said.
Digital forensics expert and founder of Cellular Forensics, Tom Slovenski told Fox News Digital that despite power outages at the resort, investigators could track the tower data on their phones to determine where Conanki would disappear.
Sudiksha Konanki was last seen in the early morning of March 6th. (Facebook)
“They actually got a lot of good leads out there, especially she's not back. She's [person of interest]. And the man comes back. He doesn't have a girlfriend. So I'll be watching [him] Big time. And where did he go? You could find him in those tower dumps. But if you know who he is, you get his phone. You can then easily use Call's detailed records to find out where he is and who he is talking to. That's what it is,” Slovensky explained.
He also said the mobile tower can provide location and time data despite power outages at the resort. Also because some new smartphones are waterproof, despite Conanki and her friends getting wet when they swam. Mobile phones need to power on mobile data to Ping, but phone users do not need to create phone calls or texts.
Local authorities searched for student Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Conanki, 20, was last seen on March 6th on the beach outside the five-star RIU Republica resort in the Dominican Republic. (Santiago Baez from Fox News Digital)
“Timing data is still ongoing in the background,” explained Slovenski, as long as mobile data is still in use in the background.
“They can obviously pull out a detailed record of her specific phone call. They can also do a tower dump with each provider on that island… and they can see if they'll go through it and find someone who looks plausible.
Local authorities searched for student Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Conanki, 20, was last seen on March 6th on the beach outside the five-star RIU Republica resort in the Dominican Republic. (Santiago Baez from Fox News Digital)
He described the timing advance as a way for a mobile phone to get “ping” from a mobile phone tower.
“They can, we can see that area where the phone was mostly in it, so then you can track how it's working,” he said.
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The military seeks Sudiksha Konanki, a US-born University student at the University of Pittsburgh, who disappeared on the beach in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic on Monday, March 10th. (AP/FrancescoSpotorno)
“The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) said in a statement Tuesday.[t]Here there was quite a lot of general speculation about what happened to Conanki and who was involved. ”
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“We are committed to warning anyone to draw unfounded conclusions and ensuring that thorough investigation is carried out before we reach a conclusion,” they said in a news release. “LCSO expects a safe return for Sudiksha Konanki and we are committed to supporting this investigation and her family in every way.”
Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the LCSO at 703-777-1021. To stay anonymous, call Loudoun Crime Soluvers at 703-777-1919.
