Father who misses U Pittsburgh student calls for wider investigation into missing in the Dominican Republic
The father of the 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki, who disappeared during spring break with friends in the popular tourist town of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, said he had asked authorities to expand the investigation.
Konanki was last seen on the beach near the resort where she lives before dawn on March 6, according to civil defense officials.
“It's been four days since she's in the water, she might be scattered on the shore,” her father Subbarayudu Konanki told WTOP-FM.
“She was not found, so we asked them to investigate multiple options, such as kidnapping or kidnapping.”
Civil Defense spokesman Jensen Sánchez told the Associated Press that authorities used drones, helicopters and detection dogs to search for waters on the island’s east coast.
He said: “The search was conducted at sea because it assumed she drowned.
He noted that it may take more than a week for the body to surface in warm waters.
Official complaints filed
When her family learned that they were missing, Subbarayudu Konanki and his wife Sreedevi flew to Punta Cana with two family friends. He and a family and a friend filed a complaint record Sunday, asking authorities to expand the investigation.
The complaint states that the student’s property, including her cell phone and wallet, was left to her friends, “It’s unusual because she always carries her cell phone with her.”
“In view of these circumstances, I respectfully ask the authorities to take immediate measures to investigate not only the possibility of accidental drowning, but also the possibility of kidnapping or fouling,” WTOP-FM said.
According to the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office, Indian citizen Sudiksha Konanki is a permanent U.S. resident of Chantilly, Virginia. The Loudon County Sheriff’s Office is working with federal officials and university police to support the Dominican National Police investigation.
The school said in a statement that University of Pittsburgh officials are staying in touch with families and authorities in Virginia and are supporting efforts to find missing students and take them home safely.
According to her father, Konanki and five other female college students traveled to the Dominican Republic on March 3.
“She wanted to have a nice break with her friends in Punta Cana,” he said.
