An international alert has been issued by authorities for the missing University of Pittsburgh student who vanished a week ago while on spring break in the Dominican Republic. Sudiksha Konanki, 20, was last seen in the early morning of March 6 heading to a beach near the Riu Republica Hotel in Punta Cana with friends. She reportedly stayed behind with a man named Joshua Riibe, whom she met on the island. Surveillance footage shows Riibe leaving the beach area later that day with Konanki. Riibe is not considered a suspect in the case. Interpol has issued a yellow notice to help in the search for Konanki, and the Loudoun County Sheriff’s office in Virginia, where Konanki’s family resides, requested this notice to assist in the investigation.
Authorities from the U.S. Department of State, FBI, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, and the University of Pittsburgh police are collaborating with the Dominican Republic National Police in the investigation. The Dominican Republic Public Prosecutor’s Office is exploring all possibilities, including accidental and intentional scenarios. Konanki’s father has urged authorities to consider other options beyond the assumption of drowning, including the possibility of kidnapping.
Konanki and her friends arrived in Punta Cana on March 3. The Dominican National Police were notified of her disappearance on March 7. Before her disappearance, there was a power outage at the Riu Republica hotel where Konanki was staying, but electricity was restored before she was last seen. Surveillance footage captured Konanki with a group of friends at the beach before she stayed behind with Riibe. Different versions of the events leading to her disappearance have been reported by various sources.
The investigation is ongoing, with authorities using all available resources to determine what happened to Konanki.
Both individuals went to the ocean, but he began to feel unwell and exited the water to rest on a lawn chair, as reported by the source. He expressed concern that Konanki might have been swept away by the waves or left the area when he left the water. The man later claimed to have spotted Konanki walking along the beach with water up to her knees in the direction of where she had left her belongings. Authorities have mobilized extensive search efforts for Konanki using drones, helicopters, divers, boats, canine units, and human resources, deploying various technologies on both land and water. Rescuers from multiple agencies are scouring the coastal region of Bávaro, Dominican Republic, in search of Sudiksha Konanki, who disappeared on March 6, 2025.
Sudiksha Konanki, a native of India with family residing in Loudoun County, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C., graduated from the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia in 2022 and currently attends the University of Pittsburgh. Descriptions on missing person posters detail Konanki as 5 feet 3 inches tall with black hair and brown eyes, last seen wearing a brown bikini, large round earrings, a metal designer anklet on her right leg, yellow and steel bracelets on her right wrist, and a multicolored beaded bracelet on her left wrist.
Is travel impacted by Sudiksha Konanki’s disappearance, reminiscent of the Natalee Holloway case? Additionally, information about Joshua Riibe is provided, stating that he is originally from Rock Rapids, Iowa, and has been studying land surveying and mapping sciences at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota since 2023. While Riibe is considered a person of interest in Konanki’s case, he is not a suspect and was not part of the group Konanki traveled with to the island. It is believed that Riibe and Konanki met in Punta Cana.
Concerns about travel safety to the Dominican Republic are raised, with the U.S. Department of State advising increased caution due to crime. Despite this, college students planning spring break trips to Punta Cana seem largely undeterred by Konanki’s disappearance. Jake Jacobsen, vice president of STS Travel, has noted few cancellations and advises individuals to stay informed about the investigation and safety of the area before making travel decisions.
The unfolding case of Sudiksha Konanki shares similarities with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba almost two decades ago on May 30, 2005, highlighting the enduring impact of unresolved missing person cases.
Holloway was spotted leaving a local bar the night before in the company of a group of men, one of whom was a Dutch teenager named Joran van der Sloot. Although van der Sloot initially denied any involvement in the case, a confession tape from 2023 revealed that he admitted to killing Holloway with a cinder block after she rejected his advances while they were alone on the beach. Despite extensive searches, her body was never found.
Beth Holloway, the mother of the victim, expressed hope that the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic would assist Konanki’s family in finding answers. She praised the presence of the American embassy there, contrasting her experience in Aruba where she did not have such support. Beth emphasized the importance of reviewing surveillance footage from various locations like hotels, gas stations, traffic lights, and restaurants, as well as monitoring beach areas and casinos visited by the individuals involved.
The Department of State recently released safety tips for students traveling abroad during spring break. Recommendations include thorough research on destinations, avoiding high-risk areas, saving U.S. embassy contacts on mobile devices, and being cautious with dating apps while overseas. Travel experts advise utilizing a buddy system, staying with friends, and avoiding solo travel. For those staying at resorts, it is suggested to remain on the property throughout the trip.
For the latest updates on the search for missing student Sudiksha Konanki, refer to the original article on USA TODAY.
