International authorities are looking for University of Pittsburgh students who disappeared during their spring break trip to the Dominican Republic last week.
According to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia, Sudiksha Konanki, 20, was with a group of students visiting Punta Cana when she went missing.
Conanki appears to have disappeared between 3am and 5am on Thursday, said Thomas Julia, a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said Conanki had not been reported missing until that night, but Sheriff Michael Chapman showed in an interview that her loss of disapp had been clearly reported to Dominican law enforcement before that.
Conanki’s family lives in Virginia and contacted the sheriff’s office to report her loss of failure, Chapman said.
Conanki was traveling with a group of five other female college students in Pittsburgh, Julia said. The other five were due to return to the US on Friday, but chose to delay to help with the search, Julia said.
On the morning of her loss, Conanki went to the beach with her friends. They came back, but she didn’t, Chapman said. He said Dominican authorities apparently got a video of the group’s last seen on the beach.
Chapman said his office is working with state and federal agencies, including Dominican authorities and the State Department.
In a statement, the FBI said Dominican authorities are leading the investigation, but the department “is ready to support international partners in their requests for assistance.”
Conanki is also an Indian citizen, so the Indian embassy in the Dominican Republic is also supporting the investigation, Chapman said.
Authorities are looking into any possibility that could explain Conanki’s disappearance, Julia said.
“Now it’s running gamut from foul play to foul play from something,” Julia said. “All of this is under consideration. Nothing has been ruled out.”
Getting the video, looking up the evidence on your phone, and talking to people who were with Conanki is still a priority, Julia said.
The local Dominican Republic Emergency Business Administration, La Altagracia Civil Defense, said it was coordinating a massive search.
“Several brigades were deployed by the sea and land, allowing foreigners to find a place to belong,” the agency said in a Facebook statement.
A University of Pittsburgh spokesman urged anyone with information about Conanki’s lost beot to contact the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.
“University officials, like authorities in Loudon County, Virginia, are in touch with Sudiksha Conanki’s family and provide full support in their efforts to find her and take her home safely,” the spokesman said.
The Dominican Republic is classified as Level 2 of the State Department’s 4th tier Travel Advisory Rubric. In other words, travelers are encouraged to exercise “increased attention” to travel there. It warns that violent crime is a national concern.
Loudoun County Sheriff Chapman said authorities still have hopes for a positive outcome.
“Obviously, I’m hoping for the best results here, but I don’t really know where I’m going yet,” he said.
