Authorities have shared a devastating update in the urgent search for missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki.
Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student, was vacationing with five friends at the Riu Republic Resort in Punta Cana for spring break when she vanished on March 6.
According to the New York Post, the young woman was last seen around 5:50AM on the beach with a man who has now been identified as Joshua Steven Ribe, a 24-year-old tourist from Iowa.
Ribe told police that he passed out drunk on the beach and, when he woke up, the 20-year-old was gone, El Nacional revealed.
Per a report from the Dominican media outlet Noticias SIN, Ribe has reportedly given three different versions of what happened that morning. Initially, he claimed he became sick from the rough waves and asked Konanki if she was okay before heading back to shore.
In a second account, Ribe allegedly told police that he left the water feeling nauseous, last seeing Konanki standing knee-deep in the surf before he lost consciousness. A third version suggests he saw her walking along the shore before he passed out.
Dominican police have not indicated whether foul play is suspected, but Ribe is said to be cooperating with the investigation.
The search for Konanki, an Indian national from Chantilly, Virginia, has escalated into a massive four-day operation involving helicopters, drones, scuba divers, canine units, human personnel, boats, and ATVs combing the beach.
Officials have provided a heartbreaking update in the desperate search, revealing that the likelihood of finding her alive has dwindled.
Juan Salas, director of the Dominican Republic’s civil defense, told Listin Diario that the chances of finding her alive are “minimal".
Authorities believe Konanki likely drowned after jumping into the ocean in a brown bikini, leaving her clothes on a lounge chair. Surveillance footage captured her and her friends at a disco at around 3AM before heading to the beach an hour later.
By 5:50AM, they had left, except for Konanki and Ribe. Shockingly, her friends did not report her missing until around 4PM - nearly 12 hours after she was last seen.
Konanki's father, Subbarayudu Konanki, flew from Virginia to Punta Cana with his wife and two family friends as soon as he realized his daughter was missing.
He has filed a complaint, urging authorities to investigate all possibilities outside an accidental drowning, including kidnapping.
"It’s four days, and if she was in the water, she would likely have been strewn to shore," he told WTOP. "She’s not found, so we’re asking them to investigate multiple options, like kidnapping or abduction."
The complaint highlights that Konanki’s belongings, including her phone and wallet, were left with friends - a detail her family finds unusual, as she "always carried her phone with her".
A missing person poster described Konanki as five feet and three inches tall with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a brown bikini, big round earrings, a metal designer anklet on her right leg, yellow and steel bracelets on her right hand, and a multicolored beaded bracelet on her left hand.
Authorities from Loudoun County, Virginia, have joined the Indian Embassy in the Dominican Republic in assisting with the search. US federal agencies are also involved in the ongoing investigation.
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) that he has been in touch with Konanki's family and friends to assist with the search.
"I am very concerned about Sudiksha Konanki's disappearance in the Dominican Republic," Subramanyam said. "I am actively working with federal and international agencies to leverage every possible resource available to bring her home safely. We are all praying for her safe and immediate return home."
The Riu Republica Resort, where Konanki was staying, also released a statement expressing its deep concern over her disappearance. According to the statement, the hotel activated its "emergency protocol" and has been collaborating closely with law enforcement, the navy, and other authorities in the search efforts.
"We would like to express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends during this incredibly difficult time," the statement said, per USA Today. "The safety and well-being of our guests are our highest priority, and we are fully committed to doing everything in our power to assist in this situation."