Topics: US News, Travel, World News, Police
Authorities have issued an international yellow warning after Pittsburgh University student Sudiksha Konanki went missing during spring break.
On March 3, Sudiksha, a 20-year-old student arrived at a resort in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic with five of her college friends, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.
But three days later on March 6 at around 4.15am, she was seen on CCTV entering the beach at the Riu República Hotel, Dominican National Police report, and at 4.55am, five women and a man left without Sudiksha.
A police source told CNN that the group of people searched for her, and alerted the authorities when they failed to locate the student.
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That same day, Sudiksha's father, Subbarayudu Konanki, filed a missing person report.
The dad told the outlet: "Her friends came back after some time and my daughter did not come back, did not show up from the beach."
While authorities launched a search which focused on the beach and water, Subbarayudu and friend of the family Ramprakash Krishnamanaidu filed a record of complaint, asking them to 'investigate multiple options like kidnapping or abduction' after noting suspicious details.
Subbarayudu told WTOP News: "It’s four days, and if she was in water, she would likely have been strewn to shore.
"She’s not found, so we’re asking them to investigate multiple options, like kidnapping or abduction."
Joshua Steven Riibe of Rock Rapids, Iowa, has been named as a person of interest in the investigation, reports the New York Post, and is cooperating with authorities.
A man believed to be the last person to be seen with Sudiksha told police that he and Sudiksha went swimming before they were hit by a big wave.
He said he returned to the beach, vomited and passed out drunk, and when he woke up, she was nowhere to be seen.
Security footage shows the man returning to his hotel room at 8.55am.
While the Dominican National Police shared on X that it was 'strengthen[ing]' its search - 're-interviewing all individuals and expanding the forensic analysis of video surveillance footage', Interpol has widened the search internationally and issued a yellow warning.
Yellow notices are usually issued in cases of unexplained disappearances.
The International Criminal Police Organization has issued this warning to aid in the search for the student.
The Loudoun County Sheriff's office in Virginia issued the request for the yellow notice as ‘another means’ of assisting in the investigation, as confirmed by department spokesperson Chad Quinn to USA TODAY.
The Dominican Republic National Police is working with authorities from the US Department of State, FBI, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations and the University of Pittsburgh police, and two Loudoun County detectives are in the Dominican Republic to assist in the efforts.
The Dominican Republic Public Prosecutor’s Office said they were ‘exploring all possible options, accidental and intentional’.
“We are using all available resources to conduct a thorough investigation into the disappearance of Konanki," Attorney General Yeni Berenice Reynoso said in a statement. "As with any disappearance under similar circumstances, we are implementing a thorough investigative protocol that considers all possible factors."
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office at 703-777-1021.
UNILAD previously contacted Dominican National Police for comment.
