The mysterious disappearance of American university students in the Dominican Republic has attracted both national and international attention.
Suddiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student in Loudon County, Virginia, was last seen walking along the beach outside the five-star RIU Republica resort in the early hours of March 6th. She was not found yet.
This is something we know so far about the events leading up to Conanki's loss of disappearance.
March 5th
Conanki was in the Dominican Republic, staying at the five-star RIU Republica resort with a group of six female students, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office told Fox News Digital.
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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)
Conanki was seen walking down the beach with six of them before her loss, three Dominican officials told ABC News.
Most people in the group returned to the hotel that night, but one person was behind with Conanki in the early hours of March 6th, ABC News reported, citing an investigation police report.
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Members of the Civil Defense Dog Unit search on Monday for Sudiksha Konanki, a US-born University student at the University of Pittsburgh who disappeared last week on the beach in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic. (AP/FrancescoSpotorno)
March 6th
Conanki was last seen after walking along the beach outside the RIU Republica resort at 4am, according to flyers circulating online.
The country's national police, La Policia Nacional, said a male friend who was with Conanki at the time of her loss was under investigation.
It is unclear who the “young man” is, but police say he is in the waters of the same beach, and they are questioning him that they are trying to support the events of his version, according to a translation of the Spanish statement.
The military is looking for Sudiksha Konanki, a US university student who disappeared on the beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on Monday, March 10, 2025. (AP Photo/FrancescoSpotorno)
Local outlet Noticias Sin The man who was also a guest at the same resort was the last person seen along with Conanki, and reportedly told several different versions of what happened.
The man reportedly went into the water with Conanki, but the rough waves made him sick, so he returned to the shore and left Conanki in the water.
In another version of the story, he says he's sick and leaves Conanki in the deep waters of his knees before he dies on the beach. According to a report from Noticias Sin, the man further claimed he saw Conanki walking along the beach before he fell asleep on the beach.
March 8th
The Indian Embassy in the Dominican Republic said it is working with the State Department and law enforcement agencies, a spokesman for the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.
Sudiksha Konanki appears in undated photos on her Tiktok profile. She was last seen on March 6th at a resort beach in Punta Cana. (@sudikshakonanki/tiktok)
“Our sheriff's office supports and continues to support those efforts. Investigate Locally, the spokesman told Fox News Digital on Saturday morning.
Dominican Republic's search and rescue team, Defensa Citizen Dominicana, has completed a day's search for a project scheduled to resume on Sunday.
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“The Orange Search and Rescue Unit, along with other agencies, worked early on Saturday to try and find the place for young woman Sudhiksha Konanki without success,” the agency said in a social media post.
Sudiksha Konanki was last seen in the early morning of March 6th. (Facebook)
Riu Hotels said in a statement that since early March 6th, no one of the guests has been seen.
“From the moment she was reported to be out of nowhere, we have been working closely with local governments, including the police and the Navy, to carry out a thorough search,” Riu Hotels said in a statement. “We would like to express our deepest sympathy for our family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. The safety and happiness of our guests are our number one priority and we are fully committed to doing all our strength to support this situation.”
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The hotel added that the team “provides full support to the authorities in the search and emergency protocols are being activated to ensure that all necessary measures are taken.”
One report suggests that Suddiksha Conanki owned to the seas of Punta Cana after being swept away by a large wave. (AP/FrancescoSpotorno)
March 9th
The Defensa Civil Dominicana resumed its search for Conanki at 6am on Sunday.
March 10th
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyarez told Fox & Friends Monday morning that his office is “still in the intelligence gathering phase.”
“All her friends are explained, that's good news,” he said. “Obviously, our hearts break for our family. We want to find her. We want to find her safe and healthy. There are so many we don't know now.”
Military and civil defense members search for Sudiksha Konanki, a US student who disappeared on the beach in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic, on Monday, March 10, 2025. (AP Photo/FrancescoSpotorno)
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When asked about Monday's report that Conanki may have owned, a spokesman for the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office told Fox News Digital Authority that he had never seen the evidence presented at this time.
“As of last night, investigators were not only actively interviewing people they saw or might have been with last Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, but also reviewing surveillance video and phone records to help them see what happened and why,” spokesman Thomas Julia said.
Fox News' Michael Dogan, Greg Norman, Lorraine Taylor and Michael Lewis contributed to this report.
