An extensive search is in underway for a University of Pittsburgh student who disappeared while on a Spring Break trip to a resort in the Dominican Republic. Sudiksha Konanki, 20, was last spotted on March 6 at 4:50 a.m. on the beach at the Riu Republica Resort and has not been seen or heard from since.
Originally from Ashburn, Virginia, Konanki was reported missing on Thursday while visiting Punta Cana with a group, authorities speaking to 13 News Now said. According to local officials, the young student vanished while walking along the beach in a bikini. A missing persons poster describes her as 5’3″ with black hair and brown eyes.
Sudden Disappearance and a Desperate Search
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She was last seen wearing a two-piece bikini, large round earrings, a metal designer anklet on her right leg, yellow and steel bracelets on her right wrist, and multi-colored bracelets on her left. A recent photograph of her closely matches this description.
“Our office was contacted on Thursday evening about a missing female from Loudoun County who was with a group of other people traveling in the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana specifically,” a spokesperson from Virginia’s Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said on Saturday.
Defensa Civil, a search and rescue team from the Dominican Republic, began searching for Konanki on Saturday evening. However, the team called off the search for the day around 8 p.m.
“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,” Defensa Civil said on social media.
The search resumed at 5 a.m. on Sunday. Jared Stonesifer, a spokesperson for the University of Pittsburgh, said that the school has been in touch with Konanki’s family and local authorities.
“We have offered our full support in their efforts to find her and bring her home safely,” Stonesifer said.
“Anyone with information is urged to contact the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.”
Completely Untraceable
According to her LinkedIn profile, Konanki is expected to graduate from the University of Pittsburgh in 2026, though her major remains unknown. Before college, she attended Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia.
Several resort guests shared their experiences, with some recording videos showing faucets in showers and sinks running dry.
One visitor mentioned that the Wi-Fi was down, adding that “people are in the lobby charging their phones.”
Another traveler noted that some guests had to charge their devices and use fans behind the receptionist’s desk.
Meanwhile, a group of women staying at the resort were seen sitting in darkness while eating a meal they had managed to “scavenge together.” “They have one restaurant to feed a couple thousand people,” another said.
