Latest news with #HotelRiuRepublica
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
Search for Sudiksha Konanki: Man believed to be last person to see missing Pittsburgh student in Punta Cana returns to U.S.
It's been two weeks since Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student, disappeared while on a spring break trip to the Dominican Republic. The situation prompted a widespread search from both U.S. and local authorities by land, air and water — but she hasn't been found. When Konanki was last seen earlier this month, she appeared to enter the beach before dawn with her friends and two other men, according to Dominican Republic National Police. One of the men, Joshua Riibe, 22, is believed to have been the last person with Konanki on the beach near the Hotel Riu Republica in Punta Cana, where she was staying before she vanished. He was identified as a 'person of interest' and questioned by authorities from various agencies. On Wednesday, Riibe landed back in the U.S. with his father, NBC News reported. It comes after a judge in the Dominican Republic granted Riibe's request to be freed from police surveillance because no charges have been filed against him. The La Altagracia prosecutor's office was willing to return Riibe's passport after Dominican authorities confiscated it as part of the missing person investigation, but he decided to apply for a new one, "for privacy reasons," which the U.S. consulate promptly provided to him. This week, Konanki's family said they believe the 20-year-old pre-med student, who was last seen on video surveillance on March 6, drowned in Punta Cana, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, in Virginia, where Konanki is from, said in a statement released Tuesday. "Sudiksha's family has expressed their belief that she drowned," said Sheriff Michael Chapman. "While a final decision to make such a declaration rests with authorities in the Dominican Republic, we will support the Konanki family in every way possible as we continue to review the evidence and information made available to us in the course of this investigation." It comes after Konanki's family had sent a letter to Dominican Republic authorities requesting a declaration of her death, NBC News reported, citing a police spokesperson. Her family also sent a similar letter to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office "seeking closure" amid the investigation, People reported. Meanwhile, surveillance footage obtained by the news agency this week purportedly shows Konanki and Riibe hanging out near each other at a bar just hours before her disappearance. The two never interact in the video. The person who appears to be Konanki leans over a grassy area, seemingly to vomit. Riibe is nearby hunched over the grass, as if to also vomit. Missing person posters describe Konanki as 5 feet, 3 inches tall, with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a brown bikini, big 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. March 3: Konanki arrived in the Dominican Republic with five friends. They were all staying at the Hotel Riu Republica in Punta Cana. March 5: Konanki told her friends that she was going to a party at the resort, her father told CNN. March 6: 4:15 a.m. local time: Konanki and her friends were seen on video surveillance footage entering the beach area of the resort, police said. Around 6 a.m.: Surveillance cameras captured five women and one man leaving the beach. Konanki is believed to have stayed behind with a young man, CNN reported, citing a local police source. 9:55 a.m.: That same police source said the man was leaving the beach, with no apparent sign of Konanki. 4 p.m.: Konanki's friends reported her missing, since it had been 12 hours since she was last seen, the Riu hotel chain said in a statement. The sheriff's office in Loudoun County, Va., where she and her family live, was notified of Konanki's disappearance. March 7: Police in the Dominican Republic learned of her disappearance after 8 a.m. in a call from the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo. The Hotel Riu Republica, where Konanki was a guest, told People that a "red flag was placed on the beach" around the time that she vanished. The resort says the red flag provides a warning that "the sea had a strong current and very high waves." Last week, the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) issued a yellow notice — a worldwide police alert for a missing person — which will notify authorities if Konanki travels to another country. The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said in a March 9 statement that it is working closely with authorities from the State Department, FBI, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations and the University of Pittsburgh police "in support of the ongoing investigation by the Dominican National Police." Konanki is a citizen of India and a permanent resident of the United States, and the Indian Embassy in the Dominican Republic is helping in the investigation. The hotel where Konanki is staying is also supporting the search efforts. "From the moment her absence was reported, we have been working closely with the local authorities, including the police and the navy, to conduct a thorough search," the hotel said. "We would like to express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. … We are fully committed to doing everything in our power to assist in this situation." Last week, Dominican authorities moved the search from the hotel, where Konanki was staying, to Macao Beach. Officials at the resort say water conditions were potentially dangerous on the day of her disappearance. There is no information about whether a body has been found, Regional Red Cross Director Fernando Placeres said Sunday. Loudoun County Sheriff Michael Chapman said authorities are combing through security footage and cellphone data for any sign of Konanki. "We have certainly experts here within the U.S. that will look into all aspects of her phone, her friends' phones, anybody that she might have been with, to see exactly what may have happened there," Chapman said. The sheriff's office doesn't have jurisdiction over the investigation, but sent detectives to help with the U.S. said of the investigation in Punta Cana. The public prosecutor's office has also interviewed Konanki's friends, NBC News reported.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Yahoo
Missing University of Pittsburgh student's parents make tragic request after she vanished on Spring Break
Missing Sudiksha Konanki's parents have penned a letter requesting that authorities in the Dominican Republic declare the University of Pittsburgh student dead. Konanki, a 20-year-old pre-med student from Chantilly, Virginia, was vacationing with five female college friends on Spring Break in Punta Cana when she vanished on a beach near the Hotel Riu Republica on March 6. The Dominican Republic's attorney general said investigators were exploring whether Konanki drowned after her disappearance sparked an intense search involving 300 police and other officials with support from the FBI, across the Caribbean nation. The girl's parents Subbarayudu and SreeDevi Konaki submitted a formal written request to officials Monday asking them to legally declare their daughter deceased, according to a copy of the letter released on X by Fox News correspondent Bryan Llenas on Monday morning. 'Following an extensive search, Dominican authorities have concluded that Sudiksha is believed to have drowned. Her clothes were discovered on a beach near where she was last seen,' the letter states. 'Initiating this process will allow our family to begin the grieving process and address matters related to her absence.' It added: 'While no declaration can truly ease our grief, we trust that this step will bring some closure and enable us to honor her memory.' Sources previously cited the letter to ABC News and Santo Domingo-based news service Noticias SIN on Sunday. The parents acknowledged in the letter they understand that certain legal procedures must be followed to process their request and said there is no suspicion of foul play. They also wrote that they trust the authorities' investigation into the case and noted that the last person presumed to see Konaki alive, Joshua Riibe, a 22-year-old college student at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, has cooperated with investigators. Konanki was last seen entering a beach at 4:15 a.m. while her friends returned to their hotel room just before 6 a.m. on March 6. The missing girl is believed to have stayed on the beach with Riibe. The man told police he went for a swim with Konanki, and the two had kissed in the water before a large wave swept her up as they both struggled against a rough tide, an interview transcript obtained by NBC News stated. 'I kept trying to get her to breathe, but that didn't allow me to breathe all the time, and I swallowed a lot of water,' he said. He also told investigators that he used to work as a lifeguard. Last week, the Loudon County Sheriff's Office in Virginia described Riibe as a 'person of interest' and said it had sent detectives to assist. On Sunday morning, Riibe was seen on the beach with investigators, his father, and an attorney, after authorities confiscated his travel documents on Friday, according to NBC News. Riibe had been 'confined to the hotel since the investigation began' and was being chaperoned by permanent police escort, his lawyers told the outlet. They added: 'He is not free to leave.' Speaking from his hotel, Riibe told the outlet that he is 'just trying to help them (authorities) out,' before adding: 'The ocean is a dangerous place.'
The Independent
18-03-2025
- The Independent
Missing University of Pittsburgh student's parents make tragic request after she vanished on Spring Break
Missing Sudiksha Konanki's parents have penned a letter requesting that authorities in the Dominican Republic declare the University of Pittsburgh student dead. Konanki, a 20-year-old pre-med student from Chantilly, Virginia, was vacationing with five female college friends on Spring Break in Punta Cana when she vanished on a beach near the Hotel Riu Republica on March 6. The Dominican Republic 's attorney general said investigators were exploring whether Konanki drowned after her disappearance sparked an intense search involving 300 police and other officials with support from the FBI, across the Caribbean nation. The girl's parents Subbarayudu and SreeDevi Konaki submitted a formal written request to officials Monday asking them to legally declare their daughter deceased, according to a copy of the letter released on X by Fox News correspondent Bryan Llenas on Monday morning. 'Following an extensive search, Dominican authorities have concluded that Sudiksha is believed to have drowned. Her clothes were discovered on a beach near where she was last seen,' the letter states. 'Initiating this process will allow our family to begin the grieving process and address matters related to her absence.' It added: 'While no declaration can truly ease our grief, we trust that this step will bring some closure and enable us to honor her memory.' Sources previously cited the letter to ABC News and Santo Domingo-based news service Noticias SIN on Sunday. The parents acknowledged in the letter they understand that certain legal procedures must be followed to process their request and said there is no suspicion of foul play. They also wrote that they trust the authorities' investigation into the case and noted that the last person presumed to see Konaki alive, Joshua Riibe, a 22-year-old college student at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, has cooperated with investigators. Konanki was last seen entering a beach at 4:15 a.m. while her friends returned to their hotel room just before 6 a.m. on March 6. The missing girl is believed to have stayed on the beach with Riibe. The man told police he went for a swim with Konanki, and the two had kissed in the water before a large wave swept her up as they both struggled against a rough tide, an interview transcript obtained by NBC News stated. 'I kept trying to get her to breathe, but that didn't allow me to breathe all the time, and I swallowed a lot of water,' he said. He also told investigators that he used to work as a lifeguard. Last week, the Loudon County Sheriff's Office in Virginia described Riibe as a 'person of interest' and said it had sent detectives to assist. On Sunday morning, Riibe was seen on the beach with investigators, his father, and an attorney, after authorities confiscated his travel documents on Friday, according to NBC News. Riibe had been 'confined to the hotel since the investigation began' and was being chaperoned by permanent police escort, his lawyers told the outlet. They added: 'He is not free to leave.' Speaking from his hotel, Riibe told the outlet that he is 'just trying to help them (authorities) out,' before adding: 'The ocean is a dangerous place.'
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Yahoo
Search for Sudiksha Konanki: INTERPOL issues global alert for missing Pittsburgh student who disappeared in Punta Cana on spring break
It has been over a week since Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student, disappeared while on a spring break trip to the Dominican Republic, prompting a widespread search from both U.S. and local authorities by land, air and water. The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has issued a yellow notice, a worldwide police alert for a missing person, which will notify authorities if Konanki travels to another country. Dominican Authorities said Thursday that they were moving the search from the Hotel Riu Republica Resort, where Konanki was staying, to Macao Beach. Officials at the resort say water conditions were potentially dangerous on the day of her disappearance. The pre-med student was last seen on video surveillance footage on Thursday, March 6, entering the beach before dawn, according to Dominican Republic National Police. Dominican media outlet Noticias SIN obtained surveillance video that appears to show Konanki with her friends and two other men. One of the men, Joshua Riibe, 24, was the last person believed to be with Konanki on the beach near the resort before she vanished. He has been questioned by authorities about her disappearance, reportedly giving conflicting accounts about his final moments on the beach with her. He has been identified as a "person of interest," the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said. Authorities also said it is not a criminal case at this time. "There has been considerable public speculation about what may have happened to Konanki and who may be involved," the sheriff's office, which is located in Konanki's hometown, said in a statement. "We caution anyone from drawing any unsubstantiated conclusions and are committed to ensuring that a thorough investigation is conducted before any conclusions are reached." Riibe's friends told the Daily Mail they are in "total shock" that he's been named a person of interest, while his aunt says he "wouldn't hurt a fly." Meanwhile, the Hotel Riu Republica, where Konanki was a guest, told People that a "red flag was placed on the beach" around the time that she vanished. The resort says the red flag provides a warning that "the sea had a strong current and very high waves." Here's what else we know. Missing person posters describe Konanki as 5 feet, 3 inches tall, with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a brown bikini, big 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. March 3: Konanki arrived in the Dominican Republic with five friends. They were all staying at the Hotel Riu Republica in Punta Cana. March 5: Konanki told her friends that she was going to a party at the resort, her father told CNN. March 6: 4:15 a.m. local time: Konanki and her friends were seen on video surveillance footage entering the beach area of the resort, police said. Around 6 a.m.: Surveillance cameras captured five women and one man leaving the beach. Konanki is believed to have stayed behind with a young man, CNN reported, citing a local police source. 9:55 a.m.: That same police source said the man was leaving the beach, with no apparent sign of Konanki. 4 p.m.: Konanki's friends reported her missing, since it had been 12 hours since she was last seen, the Riu hotel chain said in a statement. The sheriff's office in Loudoun County, Va., where she and her family live, was notified of Konanki's disappearance. March 7: Police in the Dominican Republic learned of her disappearance after 8 a.m. in a call from the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo. The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said in a statement on Sunday that it is working closely with authorities from the State Department, FBI, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations and the University of Pittsburgh police "in support of the ongoing investigation by the Dominican National Police." Konanki is a citizen of India and a permanent resident of the United States, and the Indian Embassy in the Dominican Republic is helping in the investigation. The hotel where Konanki is staying is also supporting the search efforts. "From the moment her absence was reported, we have been working closely with the local authorities, including the police and the navy, to conduct a thorough search," the hotel said. "We would like to express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. … We are fully committed to doing everything in our power to assist in this situation." The public prosecutor's office is interviewing Konanki's friends, NBC News reported. The young man believed to have been on the beach with Konanki on early March 6 has been interviewed by authorities to discuss what happened when the two were allegedly alone and to corroborate his story. Loudoun County Sheriff Michael Chapman said authorities are combing through security footage and cellphone data for any sign of Konanki. "We have certainly experts here within the U.S. that will look into all aspects of her phone, her friends' phones, anybody that she might have been with, to see exactly what may have happened there," Chapman said.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Yahoo
Search for Sudiksha Konanki: Punta Cana resort says ocean had 'strong current' before Pittsburgh student disappeared on spring break
Thursday marks one week since University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki disappeared while on a spring break trip to the Dominican Republic, prompting a widespread search from both U.S. and local authorities by land, air and water. A "person of interest" has been identified in the missing person investigation into the 20-year-old's disappearance. Officials at the Punta Cana resort where she was staying say water conditions were potentially dangerous the day of her disappearance. The pre-med student was last seen on video surveillance footage on Thursday, March 6, entering the beach before dawn, according to Dominican Republic National Police. Dominican media outlet Noticias SIN obtained surveillance video that appears to show Konanki with her friends and two other men. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. One of the men, Joshua Riibe, 24, was the last person believed to be with Konanki on the beach near the resort before she vanished. He has been questioned by authorities about her disappearance, reportedly giving conflicting accounts about his final moments on the beach with her. He has been identified as a "person of interest," the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said. Authorities also said it is not a criminal case at this time. "There has been considerable public speculation about what may have happened to Konanki and who may be involved," the sheriff's office, which is located in Konanki's hometown, said in a statement. "We caution anyone from drawing any unsubstantiated conclusions and are committed to ensuring that a thorough investigation is conducted before any conclusions are reached." Riibe's friends told the Daily Mail they are in "total shock" that he's been named a person of interest, while his aunt says he "wouldn't hurt a fly." Meanwhile, the Hotel Riu Republica, where Konanki was a guest, told People that a "red flag was placed on the beach" around the time that she vanished. The resort says the red flag provides a warning that "the sea had a strong current and very high waves." Here's what else we know. Missing person posters describe Konanki as 5 feet, 3 inches tall, with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a brown bikini, big 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. March 3: Konanki arrived in the Dominican Republic with five friends. They were all staying at the Hotel Riu Republica in Punta Cana. March 5: Konanki told her friends that she was going to a party at the resort, her father told CNN. March 6: 4:15 a.m. local time: Konanki and her friends were seen on video surveillance footage entering the beach area of the resort, police said. Around 6 a.m.: Surveillance cameras captured five women and one man leaving the beach. Konanki is believed to have stayed behind with a young man, CNN reported, citing a local police source. 9:55 a.m.: That same police source said the man was leaving the beach, with no apparent sign of Konanki. 4 p.m.: Konanki's friends reported her missing, since it had been 12 hours since she was last seen, the Riu hotel chain said in a statement. The sheriff's office in Loudoun County, Va., where she and her family live, was notified of Konanki's disappearance. March 7: Police in the Dominican Republic learned of her disappearance after 8 a.m. in a call from the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo. The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said in a statement on Sunday that it is working closely with authorities from the State Department, FBI, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations and the University of Pittsburgh police "in support of the ongoing investigation by the Dominican National Police." Konanki is a citizen of India and a permanent resident of the United States, and the Indian Embassy in the Dominican Republic is helping in the investigation. The hotel where Konanki is staying is also supporting the search efforts. "From the moment her absence was reported, we have been working closely with the local authorities, including the police and the navy, to conduct a thorough search," the hotel said. "We would like to express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. … We are fully committed to doing everything in our power to assist in this situation." The public prosecutor's office is interviewing Konanki's friends, NBC News reported. The young man believed to have been on the beach with Konanki on early March 6 has been interviewed by authorities to discuss what happened when the two were allegedly alone and to corroborate his story. Loudoun County Sheriff Michael Chapman said authorities are combing through security footage and cellphone data for any sign of Konanki. "We have certainly experts here within the U.S. that will look into all aspects of her phone, her friends' phones, anybody that she might have been with, to see exactly what may have happened there," Chapman said.
