Search and rescue workers are continuing their search for a University of Pittsburgh student who went missing while on a spring break trip with her friends in the Dominican Republic.
Authorities are searching by land and water in the tourist town of Punta Cana for any signs of 20-year-old Sudiksha Konanki. She was first reported missing Thursday, March 6, 2025, while on vacation.
Konanki is a permanent resident of the United States, but is a citizen of India. Her family makes their home in Chantilly, Virginia. She is a student at Pitt.
A Dominican police source tells CBS News that Konanki walked to the beach with the five friends she was traveling with, and the group was accompanied by two American men. Konanki reportedly stayed behind on the beach with one of the men while the rest of the group went back to the hotel.
No one has been detained and the investigation is ongoing.
Officials involved in the search efforts include Dominican Civil Defense, the Dominican Navy, police and firefighters, authorities said. Law enforcement in Virginia and Pitt police are also part of the investigation.
Reaction from the University of Pittsburgh
A Pitt spokesperson told KDKA-TV that the university is in contact with Konanki’s family and authorities in her family home of northern Virginia.
“University officials are in contact with Sudiksha Konanki’s family as well as authorities in Loudoun County, Virginia, and we have offered our full support in their efforts to find her and bring her home safely,” a university spokesperson said over the weekend. “Anyone with information is urged to contact the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office at 703-777-1021.”
Fellow students expressed concern for their classmate.
“I hope she gets found soon,” an unidentified student said. “I think people are concerned because who would think it would be a girl from Pitt?”
Sudiksha Konanki’s family speaks out
Konanki’s father, Subbarayudu Konanki, has told media outlets that he and his wife have traveled to Punta Cana with two family friends.
“For spring break she wanted to have a nice break with her friends in Punta Cana. She came with her friends on March 3,” he told reporters.
The investigation focused in and around the water. Over the weekend, Konanki and a family friend filed a record of complaint, asking authorities to widen the investigation.
“It’s four days, and if she was in water, she would likely have been strewn to shore,” Subbarayudu Konanki told WTOP-FM. “She’s not found, so we’re asking them to investigate multiple options, like kidnapping or abduction.”
The complaint notes that the student’s belongings, including her phone and wallet, were left with her friends, “which is unusual because she always carried her phone with her.”
“In light of these circumstances, I respectfully request that the authorities take immediate steps to investigate not only the possibility of an accidental drowning, but also the possibility of a kidnapping or foul play,” Konanki wrote.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, from Konanki’s hometown in Virginia, is taking part in the investigation. They released a statement over the weekend.
“We have confirmed that there were six female students of the University of Pittsburgh traveling in Punta Cana, at least two of whom are residents of Loudoun County, Virginia, one of whom is the missing person who is also a citizen of India,” said a Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson.
In addition to the University of Pittsburgh police, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said they are working with the U.S. Department of State, FBI, DEA, and Homeland Security Investigations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Heather LangHeather Lang is a senior web producer for CBS Pittsburgh who has been with the KDKA team since 2007.
