Missing U Pittsburgh student's father calls for wider probe into her disappearance in Dominican Republic

The Associated Press

· Posted: Mar 10, 2025 5:11 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

The begetter of 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh pupil Sudiksha Konanki, who went missing successful the fashionable Dominican Republic tourer municipality of Punta Cana portion connected outpouring interruption with friends, said helium has asked authorities to widen their investigation.

Konanki was past seen earlier dawn connected March 6 astatine a formation adjacent the edifice wherever she was staying, according to civilian defence officials.

"It's 4 days, and if she was successful water, she would apt person been strewn to shore," her begetter Subbarayudu Konanki told WTOP-FM.

"She's not found, truthful we're asking them to analyse aggregate options, similar kidnapping oregon abduction."

Authorities were utilizing drones, helicopters and detection dogs connected Monday to scour the waters disconnected the island's eastbound seashore wherever she was supposedly past seen, Jensen Sánchez, a civilian defence spokesperson, told The Associated Press.

"The hunt is underway astatine oversea due to the fact that it's presumed she drowned. According to the lad who was with her, the waves swept her away, but that is nether constabulary investigation," helium said.

He noted it tin instrumentality much than a week for a assemblage to aboveground successful lukewarm waters.

Official ailment filed

When her household learned of her disappearance, Subbarayudu Konanki and his woman Sreedevi flew to Punta Cana with 2 household friends. He and a household person filed a grounds of ailment Sunday, asking authorities to widen the investigation.

The ailment notes that the student's belongings, including her telephone and wallet, were near with her friends, "which is antithetic due to the fact that she ever carried her telephone with her."

"In airy of these circumstances, I respectfully petition that the authorities instrumentality contiguous steps to analyse not lone the anticipation of an accidental drowning, but besides the anticipation of a kidnapping oregon foul play," helium wrote, according to WTOP-FM.

Sudiksha Konanki, a national of India, is simply a U.S. imperishable nonmigratory from Chantilly, Va., according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, which is moving with national officials and assemblage constabulary successful enactment of the Dominican National Police investigation.

University of Pittsburgh officials are successful interaction with the household and authorities successful Virginia, and person offered their enactment successful the efforts to find the missing pupil and bring her location safely, the schoolhouse said successful a statement.

Konanki and 5 different pistillate assemblage students traveled to the Dominican Republic connected March 3, according to her dad.

"She wanted to person a bully interruption with her friends successful Punta Cana," helium said.