Authorities reportedly investigating 'young man' in disappearance of US college student in Dominican Republic
'America's Most Wanted' co-host Callahan Walsh joined 'Fox & Friends' to discuss the latest on the search for 20-year-old Sudiksha Konanki, who went missing last week.
The mysterious disappearance of an American college student in the Dominican Republic has captured national and international attention.
Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student from Loudoun County, Virginia, was last seen walking on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the early morning hours of March 6. She has yet to be located.
Here is what we know so far about the events leading up to and after Konanki's disappearance:
March 4
Konanki was in the Dominican Republic, staying at the five-star RIU Republica Resort with a group of six female Pitt students, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office told Fox News Digital.
The RIU Republica experienced a power outage that began during the early morning hours of March 4 into Wednesday, March 5.
Sudiksha Konanki in a Facebook selfie photo. The 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh junior has been missing since March 6, when she vanished during a spring break trip to a five-star resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Sudiksha Konanki/Facebook)
March 5
The majority of the electrical outage lasts until 1:27 a.m. on March 5, and after 3 a.m., "service was restored to 70%," RIU Resorts and Hotels told Fox News Digital.
The remaining 30% of the electrical outage lasted through March 5 and into March 6.
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US college student Sudiksha Konanki went missing while on vacation with her friends in Punta Cana on March 6, 2025. (Fox News Graphics)
Konanki went to a hotel bar with her friends, presumably until the early morning hours of March 6.
March 6
3 a.m.
"[T]he remaining power supply was fully reinstated on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, specifically at 02:13 AM, which is before the time of the disappearance," RIU Resorts and Hotels said. "The lobby and common areas remained powered throughout the entire day of March 5 and the early hours of March 6.
The hotel company followed up saying, "In response to publications linking the electrical failure experienced at the Riu Republica hotel with the tragic disappearance of guest Sudiksha Chowdary Konanki, RIU Hotels & Resorts wishes to firmly clarify that both events are completely unrelated."
Local authorities search for missing US student, Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was last seen on March 6 on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)
4:17 a.m.
During the power outage, surveillance cameras were still working to capture video of Konanki walking with a young man, who had his arms wrapped around her shoulders after 4 a.m. on March 6.
"The last recorded image of her was at 04:17 AM, when she was seen leaving a hotel bar in a group heading towards the beach. RIU staff acted appropriately upon being notified of the disappearance, fulfilling their duty to inform the authorities, with whom, as expected, cooperation has been absolute," the hotel group said.
WATCH THE HOTEL SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE:
4:50 a.m.
Konanki was seen for the last time around 4:50 a.m. walking on the beach outside the RIU Republica, according to a flyer being circulated online.
5:55 a.m.
The footage then shows the group, including five women and one man, returning to the hotel from the beach around 5:55 a.m.
One person reportedly stayed behind with Konanki on the beach into the early morning hours of March 6, ABC News reported, citing an investigative police report.
A member of the civil defense canine unit searches on Monday for Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student from the U.S. who disappeared on a beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, last week. (AP/Francesco Spotorno)
A male friend who was with Konanki around the time of her disappearance is under investigation, La Policia Nacional, the country’s national police force, said.
He apparently said he was in the water at the same beach, and authorities were questioning him in an attempt to corroborate his version of events, according to a translation of a Spanish-language statement from police.
Military personnel search for Sudiksha Konanki, a college student from the U.S. who disappeared on a beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on Monday, March 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Francesco Spotorno)
Local outlet Noticias SIN similarly reported that a man, who was also a guest at the same resort, was the last person seen with Konanki and reportedly told police several different versions of what happened.
The man reportedly said he entered the water with Konanki, but the rough surf made him sick, so he went back to shore, leaving Konanki in the water.
In another version of the story, he said he felt sick and left Konanki in knee-deep water before he passed out on the beach. The man additionally claimed he saw Konanki walking on the beach before he fell asleep on the beach, according to reporting from Noticias SIN.
4 p.m.
Konanki's friends reported her missing around 4 p.m. on March 6.
March 8
The Embassy of India in the Dominican Republic said it is working with the State Department and law enforcement on the ground, according to a Loudoun County Sheriff's Office spokesperson.
Sudiksha Konanki appears in an undated photo on her TikTok profile. She was last seen on March 6 at a resort beach in Punta Cana. (@sudikshakonanki/TikTok)
"Our Sheriff’s Office is supporting those efforts and continuing to investigate locally," the spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Saturday morning.
Defensa Civil Dominicana, a Dominican Republic search and rescue force, completed a full day’s search with operations scheduled to resume on Sunday.
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"The Orange Search and Rescue Unit, along with other institutions, worked from early Saturday hours, trying to find the whereabouts of the young woman, Sudiksha Konanki, without success," the agency said in a social media post.
Sudiksha Konanki was last seen in the early morning hours of March 6. (Facebook)
RIU Hotels said in a statement one of its guests has not been seen since the early hours of March 6.
"From the moment her absence was reported, we have been working closely with the local authorities, including the police and the navy, to conduct a thorough search," RIU Hotels said in a statement. "We would like to express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. The safety and well-being of our guests are our highest priority, and we are fully committed to doing everything in our power to assist in this situation."
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The hotel added that its team is "providing full support to the authorities in the search, and an emergency protocol has been activated to ensure that all necessary measures are taken."
One report suggested Sudiksha Konanki drowned in the ocean in Punta Cana after getting swept up by a big wave. (AP/Francesco Spotorno)
March 9
Defensa Civil Dominicana resumed its search for Konanki at 6 a.m. on Sunday.
March 10
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares told "Fox & Friends" on Monday morning his office is "still in the information-gathering stage."
"Her friends have all been accounted for, that is the good news," he said. "Obviously, our heart breaks for the family. We want to find her, we want to hopefully find her safe and sound. Right now, there is just so much that we don’t know."
Military personnel and civil defense members search for Sudiksha Konanki, a student from the U.S. who disappeared on a beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on Monday, March 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Francesco Spotorno)
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When asked about a Monday report that Konanki may have drowned, a spokesperson for the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office told Fox News Digital authorities "have heard this and have seen no evidence presented at this time."
"As of last night, investigators were still actively interviewing persons who may have seen or been says her last Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, as well as reviewing surveillance video and phone records to help ascertain what happened and why," spokesperson Thomas Julia said.
March 11
The Tuesday after Konanki's Thursday morning disappearance, Julia told Fox News Digital that 24-year-old Joshua Riibe was a person of interest in the case.
Riibe said via phone call that he did not want to comment "at this time."
Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the LCSO at 703-777-1021. To remain anonymous, call the Loudoun Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919.
Fox News' Michael Dorgan, Greg Norman, Lorraine Taylor and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
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