FBI joins urgent search for missing Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki in Dominican Republic; father hints at foul play

Desperate search efforts to locate missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki in the Dominican Republic have ramped up.

Around 3 a.m. March 6, Konanki — a resident of Ashburn, Virginia — was seen partying with a group of friends at a nightclub inside the Riu Republica Hotel, a resort just north of Punta Cana in the La Altagracia district of the Dominican Republic.

The complaint highlighted that a ‘stranger’ was seen on the beach with Sudiksha and her friends.

According to the Dominican news outlet Noticias SIN, surveillance cameras caught Konanki and her friends leaving the nightclub around 4 a.m. and walking toward the beach.

Konanki was reportedly last seen around 4:50 a.m., when the 20-year-old college student was spotted walking on the beach.

A fellow guest at the Caribbean resort reportedly is the last known person to have been with Konanki before her suspicious disappearance.

The individual told police that he and Konanki both went into the sea, but she was nowhere to be found after he got out of the water, Dominican media outlet El Nacional reported.

Citing sources, ABC News reported that the man told authorities that he got out of the water and walked back to the beach, where he “threw up,” then allegedly passed out, and later returned to the hotel but was unsure where Sudiksha had gone.

Sources claimed that security video showed the man arriving back at the hotel just before 10 a.m.

A translated statement from the Dominican National Police reads: “It is reported that the young man who entered the waters of the aforementioned beach was interviewed during the investigation process, and therefore the investigators are expanding the investigation process to corroborate the version that he offered in a preliminary manner.”

The Dominican National Police said they are re-interviewing people who were with Konanki before she went missing in Punta Cana.

Officials at the Riu Republica Hotel said her friends did not report her disappearance until 4 p.m. — roughly 12 hours after she was last seen.

Citing sources close to the investigation, El Nacional reported that Konanki’s clothes were found on a chaise lounge on the beach, and there were no signs of violence.

‘In light of these circumstances, I respectfully request that the authorities take immediate steps to investigate not only the possibility of an accidental drowning, but also the possibility of a kidnapping or foul play.’

Konanki’s mysterious disappearance has sparked a large-scale search of the area near the resort, which has included helicopters, drones, boats, scuba divers, sniffer dogs, and four-wheel all-terrain vehicles.

The latest update on the missing Pitt junior is that the FBI has joined the urgent multinational search for Konanki.

The FBI, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, the Loudoun County (Virginia) Sheriff’s Office, and the University of Pittsburgh police are assisting the Dominican National Police’s investigation.

The Dominican Republic Public Ministry said the U.S. embassy first contacted the agency Friday in regard to the missing woman.

On Monday, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office called on Interpol to issue a Yellow Notice., which is a worldwide police alert for a missing person.

Thomas Julia, a spokesperson with the sheriff’s office, told WTOP-TV that Sudiksha is a permanent U.S. resident and also a citizen of India, “So the embassy of India in the Dominican Republic has taken the lead on the ground, working with our State Department and local law enforcement there.”

“We now believe there were six female students of the University of Pittsburgh traveling to Punta Cana,” Julia said. “At least two of whom, including the missing person, are residents of Loudoun County.”

‘If she’s not in the water, they couldn’t find her in the resorts, they couldn’t find her in the hospitals — then where is she?’

Officials in the Dominican Republic believe she drowned after being overwhelmed by a large wave.

Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader stated during a Monday press conference that “we are concerned. All government agencies are searching … because the latest information we have from one of them, from the last person who was with the young woman, what he says according to the reports is that a wave, while on the beach, crashed into them.”

However, Konanki’s family believes something more sinister has happened.

Her father, Subbarayudu Konanki, filed a complaint Monday to expand search efforts over his “growing suspicion” that something nefarious happened to his daughter.

According to the complaint, Konanki’s “belongings, including personal items like her phone and wallet, were left with her friends, which is unusual because she always carried her phone with her.”

“In light of these circumstances, I respectfully request that the authorities take immediate steps to investigate not only the possibility of an accidental drowning, but also the possibility of a kidnapping or foul play,” the complaint states.

The complaint highlighted that a “stranger” was seen on the beach with Sudiksha and her friends.

Subbarayudu told WTOP, “If she was in water, she would likely have been strewn [sic] to shore. She’s not found, so we’re asking them to investigate multiple options, like kidnapping or abduction.”

Family friend Ramprakash Krishnamanaidu agreed, “If she’s not in the water, they couldn’t find her in the resorts, they couldn’t find her in the hospitals — then where is she?”

Krishnamanaidu added, “I hope our government will help [pressure] the Dominican Republic to investigate this angle.”

As of right now, Dominican law enforcement is treating the incident as an accident.

The father said his daughter and five female friends from Pitt traveled to the Caribbean resort for a spring break vacation.

Her father said “she wanted to have a nice break with her friends in Punta Cana — she came with her friends on March 3.”

Subbarayudu, his wife Sreedevi, and two family friends flew from their home in Virginia to the Dominican Republic shortly after learning of their daughter’s disappearance.

‘We would like to express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends during this incredibly difficult time.’

Loudoun County Sheriff Michael Chapman told WTAE-TV he was “not ruling anything out” in the disappearance of Konanki and noted that drowning has not yet been confirmed.

“We’re hoping that she will be found,” Chapman said, adding that “we’re going to make sure that we’re doing everything in our power to find out what happened, who she was with … and rule out anything else that may have been a circumstance involving this.”

Chapman continued: “We’re not ruling anything in or out, and until we get any kind of a final conclusion as to where she may be and if anything tragic happened to her, we’re just going on the assumption that this is an ongoing investigation.”

RIU Hotels issued the following statement:

At RIU Hotels, we are deeply concerned about the disappearance of one of our guests, who has not been seen since the early hours of yesterday. From the moment her absence was reported, we have been working closely with the local authorities, including the police and the navy, to conduct a thorough search. We would like to express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. 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. Our team is providing full support to the authorities in the search, and an emergency protocol has been activated to ensure that all necessary measures are taken. Additionally, we have established an internal communication channel so that any of our employees, across our five hotels in Punta Cana, who may have relevant information can share it with us or the authorities. We are grateful to everyone involved in this search and will continue working hand in hand with the relevant authorities to clarify what has happened.

The University of Pittsburgh said in a statement that its “officials are in contact with Sudiksha Konanki’s family as well as authorities in Loudoun County, Virginia, and we have offered our full support in their efforts to find her and bring her home safely. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office at 703-777-1021.”

You can watch a WTAE newscast about the missing student here.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!