As Americans plan their spring break trip abroad after the loss of our student Sudiksha Conanki, our Secret Service veterans and travel safety experts provided guidance on how to stay safe during our holidays.
“Whether studying abroad or spring break, when talking about travel security, I think there are a lot of things that students and someone need to be aware of when going to these types of places,” Bobby McDonald, a secret service agent with experience in protecting dignity, told Fox News Digital Digital.
Conanki, a 20-year-old Virginia student at the University of Pittsburgh, who was on spring break in the Dominican Republic, disappeared from the RIU Republica resort in Punta Cana in the early hours of March 6th.
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People enjoy time on the beach at the RIU Republica resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on March 14, 2025. (Fox News Digital)
MacDonald, a criminal justice professor at New Haven University, advised during spring break to stay close to areas he is used to while traveling abroad.
“You want to stay at the resort if you do,” he said. “As soon as you get off the property you can find yourself in an area you don't want to be.”
Group travel is also paramount, he added.
“You know, I want my students to go out and have a good time and blow steam away, but you have to, so run with your group in the pack,” McDonald said. “I'm staying at the hotel. If you're in the hotel and something's wrong, know where you're going.
“For example, they believe there was a blackout at night at the hotel where the young woman is staying, and reports show that everyone went to the beach and got cool off.
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May 1st, 2024, views of the beach in Bimini, Bahamas. (Jakub Porzycki/Nurphoto via Getty Images)
Several guests of RIU Republica posted on their social media accounts about the power and water halt at the five-star resort during the era of Conanki's loss of disappearance. Darani Sweeney, a resort guest when Conanki disappeared, told Fox News Digital The situation was “confusing” At the resort.
The resort said the blackout played a role in Conanki's loss, and that power had recovered before Conanki was reported missing.
“The electrical outage occurred early on Tuesday, March 4th, and Wednesday, March 5th, especially at 1:27am,” RIU Republica spokesman Marc Miralles Pons told Fox News Digital. “Two hours later, the service was restored to 70%, but the remaining power sources were fully restored from Wednesday to Thursday night, especially at 2:13am before its disappearance.”
Conanki is believed to have disappeared around 4:30am on March 6th.
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Grace Bay Beach, Providencial, Turks, Caicos, UK dependent on overseas. (Getty Images)
If a friend went missing abroad, McDonald's laid out the protocol to handle the situation.
“The first thing you need to do is report it to the hotel,” he said. “Secondly, you need to call the police from the hotel and help them find the person, which you have to inform the US consulate and the US embassy over time.
“Whenever we travel outside the US, we need to have the number of US consulates or US embassies where you go so that you can quickly lift it up on your mobile phone and let the embassy know that you need some kind of assistance,” added McDonald. “If someone from your party goes missing, you want someone from the State Department to get involved in this pretty quickly.”
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It's known last Conanki's video We came from security cameras and showed them walking with a group of people towards the beach at a resort in Punta Cana. It was a missing person and was considered a missing person, not a criminal case, authorities said.
The loss of women like Conanki and Natalie Holloway, who disappeared in Alba in 2005 during their high school graduation trip, has become a well-known incident for many years. However, the man is not spared by these travel safety guidelines, McDonald warned.
“Traditionally, we think it's more women being targeted,” he said. “But no, I think men are as susceptible to malicious activities in this place, just like women. They have to be very careful.”
On March 13th, 2025, people are enjoying their time at the beach at RIU Republica Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Santiago Baez from Fox News Digital)
While the last man seen along with a missing woman is often subject to intense scrutiny, McDonald said security surveillance is a common part of everyday life and should provide a measure of comfort.
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On November 8th, 2022, people are enjoying the day at Playa del Fine Beach, in the hotel zone in Cancun, Quintanaru, Mexico. (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images)
“We have security cameras everywhere now,” he said. “So, whether you're on the street corner of New York City, whether you're at the Punta Cana Resort, there's security cameras everywhere. So, if you're not doing something you shouldn't do, there's nothing to worry about.
