Punta Kana, Dominican Republic – Authorities investigating the disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki are expanding their search efforts in the week after a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh junior disappeared from a resort in Punta Kana.
Her location remains unknown, and although officials say she works in a missing person case rather than a criminal investigation, they leave all possibilities open.
A top Dominican Republic prosecutor said Wednesday that her office was considering the possibility that something had happened “beyond a coincidence,” and experts say it's likely that the investigation will look into competing theories until investigators come up with an answer.
Authorities are currently looking for additional nearby beaches and land-based services with 300 officers, search dogs, boats, two helicopters and other resources, Fox News Digital confirmed. Other assets include both the Navy and local divers, drones and terrain aircraft.
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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)
Conanki was last seen with a young man at the 5-star RIU Republica resort in Punta Cana, early on March 6th. Surveillance footage was taken to a walk to the beach around 4:15am, with seven other people, including five women who were traveling with spring break and two men, after spending time at the hotel bar.
The rest of the group was seen leaving the beach around 6am. The remaining men returned at about 10am.
View surveillance footage:
Mike Chapman, the home sheriff of Loudoun County, Virginia, described the man who saw her walking to the beach with “an interested person,” as she was the last person she was seen with her before disappearing, but investigators revealed that at this point they weren't considering searching for her. There are no suspects. Police are not seeking an arrest warrant.
Authorities in the Dominican Republic said there were no suspects, but this was not a criminal case.
The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) is not a major agency, but it said it is working with the FBI and is sending detectives to the Dominican Republic.
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Local authorities are looking for US student Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on Wednesday, March 11, 2025. (Santiago Baez from Fox News Digital)
The country's national police and chief body of the case, La Policia Nacional, has not used the term of the subject to explain to anyone. Neither has any other support agencies, including the FBI.
Interpol also Yellow notificationseeking information about Conanki's location.
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Sudiksha Konanki on Facebook selfie. The 20-year-old junior from the University of Pittsburgh has been missing since March 6th. (Sudiksha konanki/facebook)
“We are using all our resources to thoroughly investigate the disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki. We understand the pain that this incident causes her family, Dominican citizens and Americans,” Attorney General Yeni Berenice Reynoso said. “We apply an overall research protocol that examines all variables, as well as the disappearances that occur in the situations of the case at hand.”
She said that in addition to the FBI, the Homeland Security investigation also provides assistance to Dominican police. The HSI did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The potential role of the agency in this case was not immediately clear.
The military seeks Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student who disappeared on the beach in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic on Monday, March 10th. (AP/FrancescoSpotorno)
“There may be overlapping efforts and may be coordinated through the embassy,” said Jason Pack, a retired FBI agent who has followed the case. “Normally, all agencies work through community security guards at the US Embassy in Santa Domingo, as the State Department has diplomatic initiatives, but they usually have offices of many other law enforcement agencies, including DEA, HSI and HSI. [etc.]”
He told Fox News Digital that the additional US-based agency may be gathering background information to share with Dominican police, including Pittsburgh, where she attended school.
On Tuesday, March 11th, 2025, you will walk along the beach at RIU Republica Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Santiago Baez from Fox News Digital)
“They are just supporting Dominican police, where they combine event timelines here, identifying their peers and getting a full picture of what her life is like before their trip,” he said. “And perhaps some of those leads would provide insight into the state of mind and who the additional peers are if she was talking to someone before she went.”
Colonel Diego Peskeira, a spokesman for La Politia Nacional, is seeking patience as the investigation unfolds.
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On Tuesday, March 11th, 2025, people are playing underwater in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic. (Santiago Baez from Fox News Digital)
Authorities are collecting surveillance videos to compile a timeline of her trips from her arrival on March 3 to her loss of failure on March 6.
She had a drink with her friend in the hotel lobby around 3:30am and 30 minutes later at another hotel bar. Her last known appearance in the video came around 4:15am when the group moved towards the beach behind the hotel. Nearby resorts on either side have their own cameras on the beach, targeting their own property. It's not clear that Riu has a camera there.
Local authorities are searching for Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Santiago Baez from Fox News Digital)
At the time of her loss, a red eruption warning was posted, urging people not to swim in the rough currents.
After Conanki's loss, police recovered sandals and salon-style beach gowns.
No American college students seen in resort surveillance in the Dominican Republic
After disappearing from the beach in Punta Cana on March 6, 2025, investigators expanded their search area as American university student Sudiksha Konanki remains missing. (Fox News Graphics)
Reynoso's Office said late Wednesday that the search expanded the coast to nearby beaches, Uvero Alto-Macao, Macao-Playa Arena Gorda and Cortecito-Playa Arena Gorda. Civil Defense Forces and firefighters participated in the effort.
Police have spent days searching the coastline by boat, diving team and helicopter.
On Tuesday, March 11th, 2025, he sat on the sand by the sea at RIU Republica Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Santiago Baez from Fox News Digital)
“The 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.
