The family of Sudiksha Konanki, an Indian-origin student who vanished while vacationing in the Dominican Republic, has formally requested authorities to declare her presumed dead, as per reports.
Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student and US permanent resident, was last seen on March 6 at the Riu Republica Resort in Punta Cana. Despite ongoing search operations, no sign of her has been found, prompting her family to acknowledge that they believe she is no longer alive.
In a letter to the Dominican Republic National Police, her family urged officials to issue a formal declaration of death. They also clarified that they do not suspect foul play in her disappearance but remain committed to cooperating with legal procedures.
Konanki had traveled to Punta Cana on March 3 with a group of five female friends. Security footage from the night she went missing shows her at a hotel bar with her friends and two men, one of whom was identified as Joshua Steven Riibe, a 22-year-old from Iowa. Around 4:15 AM on March 6, Konanki and the group were recorded walking towards the beach. However, an hour later, surveillance captured only five women and one man leaving the area—without her.
Authorities in the Dominican Republic have questioned Riibe multiple times and confiscated his passport, but he has not been named a suspect. The Dominican Attorney General’s Office has interrogated him for over six hours, with further questioning anticipated. Despite speculation surrounding the case, officials in both the US and the Dominican Republic continue to classify it as a missing persons investigation rather than a criminal inquiry.
