The Dominican Republic Resort, where University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Conanki went missing last week, experienced a long blackout hours before Conanki disappeared, the resort company and guests told Fox News Digital.
Conanki, a 20-year-old Virginia resident, was last seen after 4am on March 6th. According to authorities and flyers whose flyers are distributed online, they were apparently walking along the beach outside the RIU Republica resort in Punta Cana.
Two hours before the University of Pittsburgh students disappeared, after a halt of about 22 hours, the power was restored with a five-star adult-only Riu Republica, who was staying with five female friends.
“[T]His electrical issues began on Wednesday. [March] It's 5am. But the same thing was resolved on Thursday [March] At 6am, at 6am, when the guest went to the beach just after 4am, the electricity had already been restored a few hours ago. So one thing has nothing to do with the others,” Riu Hotels told Fox News Digital in a statement, mentioning perhaps the loss and halt of Conanki.
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The beach area of RIU Republica Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Courtesy D'Lani Sweeney)
According to the International Development Fund, it is currently receiving a State Department Level 2 travel advisory and shares the border with Level 4 Haiti, causing it to experience almost daily blackouts in certain areas that could last for more than 10 hours.
“We deeply regret the power outage that affected the RIU Republica Hotel last week, as our commitment to the happiness and comfort of our guests is our priority,” Riu Hotels said. “From the moment the problem was detected early on Wednesday, March 5th to the time it was completely resolved early on Thursday, March 6th, the hotel team worked tirelessly to resolve the problem quickly and to recover all services that had gradually occurred during that period.”
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Sudiksha Konanki on Facebook selfie. The 20-year-old junior at the University of Pittsburgh has been missing since March 6th. She disappeared during a spring break trip to a five-star resort in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic. (Sudiksha konanki/facebook)
The hotel's parent company added that members of RIU Republica staff “we are doing our best to alleviate the inconveniences created by this situation.”
“Nevertheless, we recognize the inconvenience that this event has generated for affected guests. For this reason, RIU has established a compensation policy that applies to all customers who process their claims directly with the RIU hotel or the travel provider who booked it, through official channels,” Riu Hotels said.
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Aisle at the RIU Republica Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Courtesy D'Lani Sweeney)
Conanki reportedly walked with the young man just before she disappeared, but the country's national police, La Policia Nacional, said in a translated statement.
Several guests who spoke with Fox News Digital expressed concerns about power and water outages, as well as other safety concerns at RIU Republica. Various recent Google reviews have also complained about the issues of electricity and water.
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On Monday, March 10th, 2025, we search for Sudiksha Konanki, a US-born University student at the University of Pittsburgh who disappeared on the beach in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic. (AP Photo/FrancescoSpotorno)
“I understand it's spring break, but this is terrible,” Nick Masca said. “The water doesn't work. I didn't have any strength yesterday. This is terrible.”
D'Lani Sweeney described his stay at Riu Republica as “The Spring Break Trip From Hell” by Tiktok, but said that most of the staff were extremely helpful and tried to make guests comfortable when problems arise.
“The night she disappeared was a very chaotic night, everything was a bit progressing.”
“People were out at the pool or the beach later because there was no AC in the room,” Sweeney told Fox News Digital. “It was so hot, and it's like the only way they can chill or have something.
Sweeney explained using bottled water to brush her teeth in a hotel room and using outlets in the hotel lobby or gym to charge her phone. Due to a power outage, there was no Wi-Fi service in certain areas of the resort. People without international phone plans who used Wi-Fi to contact people abroad had a hard time explaining the situation to connect with friends and family, she said.
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Sudicsha Conanki, 20, disappeared in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (handouts, left, and Defensive Citizen Dominicana, right.)
Additionally, the resort had a red flag on the beach, warning travelers about strong currents and large waves around at stops.
“The beach doesn't have lights or lanterns on the beach to be illuminated by the beach.
“We could see the beach and it was pure white,” Sweeney said of the beach at night. “We were on the beach before, and even when the power was on, there was a bit of a trickle of light, so we can't see anything in the blackout.
“There's no lights or lanterns on the beach, illuminate it to help someone if you're on the beach. If you go there, you can't see anything.
The exterior of the police station in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Kiril Clark)
A woman who stayed at another RIU resort in Punta Cana about a week before Conanki's loss disappearance said she chose to be identified by her name, Woeser.
“We were sitting at the bar and two guys came to us. We were just talking,” Wother told Fox News Digital.
One of the men chose to communicate with Woeser and her friends on the phone using Google Translation. At one point, a friend of Woeser's said it was too big and went outside to get some air. After that, Woeser went to use the bathroom.
When she returned to the bar, she forgot that her friend had been out and asked the man using Google Translation to ask him that she had previously told him whether she knew where her friend had gone.
“In his Google Translate app, he says… “Yeah, you're alone. You shouldn't be here. Let's go to the beach.”
The beach area of RIU Republica Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Courtesy: D'Lani Sweeney)
Woeser felt that the comments recorded him as “suspecting,” but her friends came back before they could say anything more to each other.
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The Virginia FBI and Loudoun County Sheriff's Office are involved in searching for missing pit students. All the friends she traveled with is described.
“The ongoing investigation includes a wide range of search efforts, along with reviews of surveillance videos and phone records,” the Sheriff's Office said in a press release Monday. “The interview continues with people who have seen or have been to Conanki before she went missing. The LCSO has filed a yellow notice (a global police warning for missing persons) issued by Interpol.”
One report suggests that Conanki owned in the oceans of Punta Cana after being swept away by a large wave. (AP/FrancescoSpotorno)
The Sheriff's Office added that.”[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.
