The parents of Sudiksha Konanki are requesting the University of Pittsburgh student be declared dead after disappearing while on spring break in the Dominican Republic earlier this month.
Konanki, a 20-year-old Indian citizen and resident of Virginia’s Loudoun County, was last seen in the early morning hours of March 6 after a night of drinking. She, a group of friends and other travelers were seen on a Punta Cana beach, where she’s believed to have later drowned.
Authorities say the last known person to have been with Konanki was 22-year-old Joshua Riibe, an American student who was also traveling with friends for spring break. Though he’s been named a “person of interest,” he has not been charged nor accused of any wrongdoing.
A spokesperson for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to the Daily News that Konanki’s family have requested Dominican authorities pronounce her “deceased by drowning.” The representative told People the declaration would help the family in “seeking closure.”
“Sudiksha’s family has expressed their belief that she drowned. While a final decision to make such a declaration rests with authorities in the Dominican Republic, we will support the Konanki family in every way possible as we continue to review the evidence and information made available to us in the course of this investigation,” Loudoun County Sheriff Michael Chapman said in a statement. “We thank the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Dominican National Police for their dedication to this investigation and collaboration.”
Surveillance footage last showed Konanki walking on the beach at the Riu Republica Resort at around 4:15 a.m. on March 6. Though she entered the beach with five female friends and two men, footage shows that the rest of the group — save for one man, presumably Riibe — left just before 5 a.m.
Iowa native Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, told prosecutors last week that he saved himself and Konanki from drowning after they were swept out by a wave. He said that once back on shore, he believed she went to fetch her things and then “never saw” her again.
Riibe reportedly refused to answer multiple questions from police, as advised by his lawyer, including what he thinks about Konanki’s disappearance and whether she knew how to swim.
Dominican news agency Noticias SIN published video footage over the weekend which shows the group in the hours leading up to Konanki’s disappearance, including of her and Riibe appearing to vomit.