Officials have launched an extensive search for a University of Pittsburgh student who went missing on Thursday in the Dominican Republic.
The woman is identified as 20-year-old Sudiksha Konanki of Loudoun County, Virginia, who disappeared from the resort town of Punta Cana while vacationing with friends, WUSA 9 reported Saturday.
Officials said she went missing while “walking on the beach” around 5:00 a.m. Thursday at the RIU Republica Resort, per Fox 9.
An image shows the young woman and authorities looking for her:
Desperate search for bikini-clad Pitt student who went missing in Dominican Republic on spring break https://t.co/OAISHNomaC pic.twitter.com/RabM0YdHpi
— New York Post (@nypost) March 9, 2025
Meanwhile, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Thomas Julia told WTOP that Konanki is also a citizen of India, “so, the embassy of India in the Dominican Republic has taken the lead on the ground, working with our State Department and local law enforcement there.”
He added that “We don’t know if there’s any foul play or if she accidentally went missing. This is primarily being handled on the ground in the Dominican Republic.”
A search and rescue crew in the Dominican Republic called Defensa Civil ended its first full day of searching for her on Saturday around 8:00 p.m. but said it would continue its efforts on Sunday.
According to the Fox article, “At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing a brown two-piece bikini, large round earrings, a metal designer anklet on her right leg, yellow and steel bracelets on her right hand, and a multicolored beaded bracelet on her left hand.”
A travel advisory issued in June from the U.S. State Department urged people to exercise “increased” caution while visiting the Caribbean nation:
Violent crime, including armed robbery, homicide, and sexual assault, is a concern throughout the Dominican Republic. The development of a professional tourist police corps, institution of a 911 system in many parts of the country, and a concentration of resources in resort areas means these tend to be better policed than urban areas like Santo Domingo. The wide availability of weapons, the use and trade of illicit drugs, and a weak criminal justice system contribute to the high level of criminality on the broader scale.
Click here to read more articles about the Dominican Republic.
