Witness Insists He Saved Sudiksha Konanki From Drowning Amid Search

Yahoo

14-03-2025

Originally appeared on E! Online
A witness in the disappearance of college student is sharing more details on the night she went missing.
While authorities search for the University of Pittsburgh junior—who was reported missing March 6 while on spring break in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic—a witness has come forward to share he and his friend met the 20-year-old and her friends in the lobby of the Hotel Riu Republica and then all headed to a bar.
After they "ordered some shots,' he recalled to Dominican investigators, according to NBC News, "someone suggested we go to the beach."
The man—who is not considered a suspect by any authorities, however has been identified as a person of interest by Loudon County Sheriff's Office in Virginia, where her family lives—and Sudiksha headed into the water, despite red flags warning of strong waves.
"We were in waist-deep water, talking and kissing a little," he said. "[Sudiksha] and I kissed. A big wave came and hit us both, and with the rising water, it swept us out to sea. As soon as we were able to surface, we tried to call for help, but there was no one there."
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The witness said he acted as a lifeguard and "grabbed her and pulled her out" and got them back to the shore.
"Then she went to gather her belongings, since the sea had moved us. She wasn't out of the water, as it was up to our knees. She was walking at an angle in the water," he said. "The last time I saw her, I asked if she was okay. I didn't hear her answer because I started vomiting all the seawater I'd swallowed."
He said that was the last time he saw Sudiksha. "I thought she'd grabbed her things and left," the witness said. "After I saw her walk away, as she walked in the water, I never saw her again."
The witness said he "felt really bad and tired," so he laid down on a beach chair and fell asleep. "Then I woke up because of the sun and mosquito bites," he continued. "I went to my friend's room to get my phone, and then I went to my room to sleep."
The man said he found out Sudiksha was missing when he woke up at dawn. "My friend asked me if I knew where the girl was," he said. "I told him I thought she had gone to her room, and he told me she never returned."
A security video showed Sudiksha and her friends entering the beach area of the hotel, National Police said. Though her friends headed back to the resort after about 40 minutes, she stayed behind with others who she met on the trip, Loudoun County Sheriff Michael Chapman told NBC Washington March 10.
On the day Sudiksha was reported missing, her friends had gone out on an excursion. They realized she had disappeared roughly 12 hours later and informed the hotel, a National Police spokesperson said, per NBC News.
While the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office has no jurisdiction in the missing person's case, which is not being treated as a criminal investigation, its detectives are assisting on the ground as search efforts continue. Dominican authorities said March 14 they do not use the term "person of interest" and that no one is currently considered a suspect in the matter, NBC News said.
For a full timeline of events, read on…
(E! and NBC News are part of the NBCUniversal family.)
Where Did Sudiksha Konanki Travel to for Spring Break?Who Did Sudiksha Konanki Travel With?Where Was Sudiksha Konanki Staying?When Was Sudiksha Konanki Reported Missing?When Did Search and Rescue Efforts Begin for Sudiksha Konanki?What Do Officials Believe May Have Happened to Sudiksha Konanki?What Has Sudiksha Konanki's Family Said About the Case?
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