Missing student Sudiksha Konanki disappeared in Punta Cana during spring break. This is what we know about the case.

Search work extends until their second week Sudiksha KonankiA university student at the University of Pittsburgh, he disappeared during a trip to the Dominican Republic resort town of Punta Cana in early March.

Details around Konanki's disappearance As international investigations continue, they have begun to appear. This is what we know about her case so far.

Konanki sees the beach on video

Konanki, 20, is from Chantilly, Virginia, in suburbs, Washington, DC, and attends college in Pittsburgh. She has permanent residence in the United States and citizenship in India. According to investigators and her parents, she arrived on spring break in the Dominican Republic on March 3 and was on vacation with a group of friends and five other women.

she Missing Since surveillance videos on Thursday, March 6 show her three friends and two other American men Go to the beach area Outside the RiuRepública Hotel. Investigators in the Dominican Republic said the video was from 4:15 a.m.

The hotel said in a statement that the hotel's power outage could prompt guests to move outdoors at that time. Earlier surveillance videos showed Konanki and a friend she was hugging in a hotel bar.

A man in the group walking to the beach was identified as a 22-year-old Joshua Riibe, a U.S. college student. In the video, Konanki and Riibe are seen surrounding each other's arms.

A police source said the video showed four other people returning to the hotel later, but Konanki and Riibe remained on the beach. Loudon County Sheriff Mike Chapman, who was involved in the investigation in his office in Virginia, said the last sighting of Concarney and Ribe occurred at 4:50 a.m. at about 4:50 a.m.

Riibe told police that he and Konanki were swept into the ocean by a wave and both struggled in the ocean of struggle. He said Konanki took off from the water, but was unsure, according to people who knew Riibe's direct knowledge of Riibe's statements about U.S. investigators.

Suppose he is the last person to see Konanki alive.

So far, Konanki's disappearance has been considered a case of missing persons, not a criminal investigation.

The Dominican Republic attorney general said investigators were exploring whether Conki drowned, but did not rule out the possibility of a foul.

“It's hard to say,” Chapman said, “Whether there are accidental signs of Concarney's disappearance.

“We know that at about 4:50 a.m., it was the last time we've encountered them in the water. We don't know what happened after that,” Chapman said in a “CBS Morning” interview. “And we don't know from [Riibe] Claiming to have come out of the water, he actually left the beach, so it's hard to say. In my opinion, this is speculative to me.

Konanki's family seeks closure

Loudon County Sheriff's Office tells CBS News that Konanki's family has She was asked to be pronounced deadthanks for the investigators' work and expresses a desire to close after the disappearance of the Dominican Republic.

Spokesman Thomas Julia said the family provided a request to the sheriff's office in writing. Julia said the family made similar requests to Dominican authorities.

Konanki's family did not immediately respond to a request for comment. CBS News learned that their written request cited Ribe’s cooperation with investigators and that so far there is a lack of evidence that the foul involves the disappearance of the foul.

Chapman said the family expressed their belief in drowning.

“While the authorities in the Dominican Republic are dependent on the authorities, we will continue to review the evidence and information we provide to us during the investigation, we will do everything possible to support the Konanki family.”

Ribe faces doubts and says he is working together

Riibe has been interrogating Punta Cana since the inquiry began. He was confined to a hotel for more than a week, and officers escorted him anywhere, but a judge in the Dominican Republic ruled that March 18 Riibe should get rid of police surveillance.

Given that there were no criminal charges, the law firm representing Riibe Guzmán Ariza on behalf of Riibe provided legal documents for its own freedom, which led to a hearing. Riibe argued in court that he was inappropriately detained.

“I really want to go home to see my family,” Ribe said. “I know I'm helping here, but it's been 10 days.”

His lawyers earlier said authorities confiscated Ribe's passport when facing inquiry, including a direct trial by Dominican Attorney General Yeni Berenice Reynoso. The judge's ruling did not include an immediate decision on the issue of returning to the Riibe passport, and it is unclear when it will be possible to return to the United States.

Riibe and his parents, Tina and Albert Riibe, expanded “deep sorrow and solidarity” with Konanski's family in a statement issued by his attorney.

“Most importantly, we want to contribute to the search work and understand the pain and uncertainty they are experiencing, and we share our hopes to find Sudiksha as soon as possible,” the statement said. “Joshua Riibe was very frustrated by his disappearance and searched and clarified the facts completely collaboratively from the outset.”

Chapman told CBS Morning that Riibe had “very” with the sheriff's detectives, who went to the Dominican Republic to talk to him without “seemingly hesitating to answer any questions we had abandoned him.”

Chapman noted, “Nothing makes us feel as if Joshua has any unreality.”

Originally from Iowa, Riibe is a college student at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota and is pursuing a degree in land surveying.

His family described him as “a beloved son, brother and friend, known for his kindness, humor and commitment to the community.”

They also expressed concern about the “irregular conditions” of his detention in Punta Cana, saying he was “informed by an official translator or legal counsel before Wednesday, March 12, and was widely asked without an official translator or legal counsel.” The statement said the family reserved a lawyer to “start legal proceedings to ensure his safety and protect his rights in the process”.

Strengthen search work

Dominican President Luis Abinader said more than 300 police officers and other officials were looking for air, ocean and land to locate her, with the support of the FBI. The Dominican Republic National Police said they have formed a new “high-level committee” to oversee the case, and Interpol has Global alert was issued At the request of the investigator.

“We are worried,” Abinard said in a March 10 press conference. “All government agencies are searching… because the latest information we got from one of them, from the last person with the young woman, he said, reportedly wasted a wave on the beach.”

The Dominican Republic National Police said in a statement on March 11 that they were “reexamining the targeted people who were missing and were at the distance of the victims.” Investigators said the people included “hotel employees who stayed by Konanki and her companions to collect information to confirm her movement, interactions and any relevant details of the investigation.”

Associated Press Manuel Bojorquez contributed to the report.