5 months ago
19
(NewsNation) — The household of missing assemblage student Sudiksha Konanki has asked authorities to state the 20-year-old dead, according to U.S. officials.
"Sudiksha’s household has expressed their content that she drowned," Loudon County Sheriff Michael Chapman said successful a statement Tuesday. "While a last determination to marque specified a declaration rests with authorities successful the Dominican Republic, we volition enactment the Konanki household successful each mode possible."
Konanki, a pupil astatine the University of Pittsburgh, disappeared from a formation successful the Dominican Republic earlier this month, and her disappearance is being investigated by section authorities and by authorities from her hometown successful Loudoun County, Virginia.
What happened to Sudiksha Konanki?
Konanki was past seen astatine the Riu República Hotel, conscionable northbound of Punta Cana successful the La Altagracia district, astir 4 a.m. connected March 6. She was 1 of six pistillate University of Pittsburgh students who traveled unneurotic for outpouring interruption connected March 3.
Police said Konanki disappeared aft she and different guests went extracurricular amid a powerfulness outage. The radical was accompanied by 2 American men. Konanki stayed connected the formation with 1 of the men portion the remainder of the radical returned to the hotel.
Dominican constabulary accidental they’ve been reinterviewing radical who were with Konanki earlier she went missing. Investigators have been utilizing drones, helicopters and detection dogs to hunt waters disconnected the island’s eastbound coast.
Despite the extended search, her assemblage has not been found. The nationalist prosecutor’s bureau said Konanki’s friends person been interviewed.
Video shows Konanki astatine outdoor bar
Video footage was released connected Monday that appears to beryllium Konanki with a antheral who has been nether the attraction of authorities astatine an outdoor barroom earlier she disappeared.
The videos were published by section media outlet Noticia SIN and look to amusement Konanki and her friends astatine a edifice barroom adjacent a antheral who resembles Joshua Riibbe.
Local authorities initially said they believed Konanki drowned but person not ruled retired the anticipation of foul play successful her disappearance.
Local constabulary antecedently said Riibe is not a suspect, though the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office believes helium whitethorn person been the past idiosyncratic to spot Konanki earlier she disappeared. Authorities successful the Dominican Republic later pulled Riibe’s passport, and helium is not allowed to permission the country.
Riibe told authorities helium pulled Konanki retired of unsmooth h2o successful the ocean. He said helium vomited seawater up aft the incidental and felt sick earlier falling dormant connected a formation chair. Riibe said helium believed Konanki near the formation earlier helium passed retired and woke up immoderate clip later.
Four tourists drowned astatine the aforesaid formation astir 2 months anterior to Konanki’s disappearance. The nighttime she disappeared, determination were unsmooth seas and precocious waves, authorities said.
NewsNation’s Safia Samee Ali and Alex Caprariello contributed to this report.
