Latest news with #Sudiksha
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
What Happened to Miller Gardner and Sudiksha Konanki? Inside the Spring Break Tragedies
They were all sick. After going out to dinner on March 20 while vacationing in Costa Rica, retired New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, 41, his wife Jessica and sons, Hunter, 16, and Miller, 14, began suffering from what appeared to be food poisoning. A doctor was called to their Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort hotel to treat the family with over-the-counter medication to combat their symptoms, which reportedly included stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea. But the next morning, Miller was dead. As his stunned loved ones pleaded for answers, officials explored multiple theories. Suggestions he died from asphyxiation due to a food allergy or that he'd had an allergic reaction to the medicine he was given the previous night, however, were swiftly ruled out. Then, on March 31, investigators revealed a breakthrough in the mystery: 'High levels of carbon monoxide contamination' were detected in the Gardners' room, the general director of Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Agency announced, explaining that a 'specialized machine room' adjacent to the World Series champ's accommodations is the suspected source of the poisonous gas. And though a spokesperson for the resort initially denied that the levels in the room were lethal, the official toxicology report released on April 2 showed that the teen died of carbon monoxide exposure. The Gardners will continue to mourn. 'The void Miller's passing leaves in the hearts of his family, friends, teammates, teachers, coaches and others will be felt for years,' his March 29 obituary read. 'The Gardner family will forever cherish the places they visited, the people they met, the friends they made, and the memories they created together.' She arrived in the Dominican Republic on March 3 hoping to have some fun with five of her girlfriends during a break from their classes at the University of Pittsburgh. Instead, Sudiksha Konanki vanished without a trace. Her final moments were caught on camera. Surveillance video shows the 20-year-old and another spring breaker she met on the trip, St. Cloud State University student Joshua Riibe, 22, with their arms around each other as they and a small group of revelers walked to the beach around 4:15 a.m. on March 6 after leaving a disco at Punta Cana's Riu Republica resort. Everyone else left, while Sudiksha and Joshua waded into the ocean and ended up 'talking and kissing a little' in 'waist-deep water' — until a wave crashed over them, sweeping them 'out to sea,' he told authorities in a March 12 interview obtained by NBC News. Joshua added that he battled rough surf to get them back to shore before passing out on the beach, the New York Post reported. He believed Sudiksha made it out of the water — but didn't see her again. He returned to the resort at 9 a.m. thinking 'she'd [already] grabbed her things and left.' At first, the case bore a chilling similarity to the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005 — and Sudiksha's distraught parents demanded police probe whether she was the victim of foul play. Though he was never formally accused or charged with a crime, Joshua was detained for nearly two weeks before he was released on March 17. On March 28, a judge released his full reasoning for letting the student go, putting an official end to that element of the mystery. Upon learning that Joshua 'was not a suspect from the beginning … We are coming to terms with the fact our daughter has drowned,' Sudiksha's father, Subbarayudu, told reporters as her mother, Sreedevi, sobbed beside him. In a letter to Dominican authorities, they asked for their daughter to be officially declared dead. 'While no declaration can truly ease our grief,' they wrote, 'we trust that this step will bring some closure and enable us to honor her memory.'
Fox News
20-03-2025
- Fox News
The Disappearance Of Sudiksha Konanki
20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki disappeared while on spring break in the Dominican Republic. Sudiksha is believed to have vanished in the early morning hours of March 6th after she and a group of friends went to the beach. Joshua Riibe, a 22-year-old college student, is believed to have been the last person to see Sudiksha before her disappearance. FOX News National Correspondent Bryan Llenas joins from Punta Cana to discuss the latest updates in this tragic case, and to discuss the current status of Riibe's detainment. Follow Emily on Instagram: @realemilycompagno If you have a story or topic we should feature on the FOX True Crime Podcast, send us an email at: truecrimepodcast@ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Yahoo
Parents of missing American college student share why they asked for daughter's death declaration
The parents of Sudiksha Konanki, the University of Pittsburgh student who went missing from the Dominican Republic on March 6, have spoken out after telling authorities to declare their daughter dead. Their statement comes after they sent a letter to La Policia Nacional, the Dominican national police force, on Monday stating that "Dominican authorities have concluded that Sudiksha is believed to have drowned." "Both sides of the authorities have shown us how high the ocean waves were at the time of the incident," Subbarayudu Konanki, Sudiksha's father, told reporters on Tuesday, adding that her death has been "difficult to process." Sudiksha Konanki was reported missing on March 6 from the resort where she was staying in Punta Cana. It was later revealed that the 20-year-old college student went swimming during a red-flag warning with a male hotel guest, who is considered a witness in Konanki's disappearance but not a suspect or person of interest. Dominican Judge Rules In Iowa Witness' Favor In Missing American Student Case "It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that we are coming to the terms with the fact that our daughter is gone," Subbarayudu said Tuesday. Read On The Fox News App The witness, 22-year-old Joshua Riibe of Iowa, apparently told Dominican authorities that while they were swimming, a large wave crashed over them, according to a translated transcript of his interview to police shared with Fox News. Key Witness In American College Student's Disappearance Tells Police How They Met, What Happened On Beach He said he tried to help her and last saw her wading through knee-deep water. He then began vomiting up seawater and noticed that Konanki was no longer in sight and assumed she had returned to her hotel room. Riibe said he fell asleep in a beach chair before eventually returning to his room. Hotel surveillance footage shows Riibe returning to his hotel room around 9 a.m. on March 6. American College Student Disappears In Dominican Republic: Timeline Police "clarified that the person of interest is not a suspect," Subbarayudu told reporters. "Keep our daughter in your prayers," he said, adding that he and his wife have other children to care for as they "try to move on" with their lives. He said Sudiksha was "very bright" and "wanted to pursue medicine," which is why she had enrolled in pre-med at Pitt. Hotel Horror Stories Emerge After American College Student Goes Missing As Resort Insists No Connection Subbarayudu also said he and his wife believe in the authorities "100%." The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office in Virginia, where Konanki is from, issued a Tuesday statement sharing her family's belief that she drowned. Missing American College Student Seen In New Hotel Security Footage Before Disappearance "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," the sheriff's office said. Ribbe, who is believed to be one of the last people seen with Konanki, had a hearing Tuesday concerning his writ of habeas corpus, or his challenge to the Dominican Republic's decision to confiscate his passport and hold him in the country since March 6. A judge ultimately agreed with Riibe that he had been unlawfully detained, and he has another hearing scheduled for March 28. It was not immediately clear when he might be able to leave the Dominican Republic. Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota who has not been accused of a crime but is considered a crucial witness in the case, had been held under surveillance at the resort since Konanki was reported missing. His family has called his continued required presence in the country "irregular." Fox News' Michael Ruiz, Mara Robles and Nate Foy contributed to this article source: Parents of missing American college student share why they asked for daughter's death declaration
Fox News
19-03-2025
- Fox News
Parents of missing American college student share why they asked for daughter's death declaration
The parents of Sudiksha Konanki, the University of Pittsburgh student who went missing from the Dominican Republic on March 6, have spoken out after telling authorities to declare their daughter dead. Their statement comes after they sent a letter to La Policia Nacional, the Dominican national police force, on Monday stating that "Dominican authorities have concluded that Sudiksha is believed to have drowned." "Both sides of the authorities have shown us how high the ocean waves were at the time of the incident," Subbarayudu Konanki, Sudiksha's father, told reporters on Tuesday, adding that her death has been "difficult to process." Sudiksha Konanki was reported missing on March 6 from the resort where she was staying in Punta Cana. It was later revealed that the 20-year-old college student went swimming during a red-flag warning with a male hotel guest, who is considered a witness in Konanki's disappearance but not a suspect or person of interest. "It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that we are coming to the terms with the fact that our daughter is gone," Subbarayudu said Tuesday. "We were going through too much pain all these days, and we were saddened, and we were not able to believe this." The witness, 22-year-old Joshua Riibe of Iowa, apparently told Dominican authorities that while they were swimming, a large wave crashed over them, according to a translated transcript of his interview to police shared with Fox News. He said he tried to help her and last saw her wading through knee-deep water. He then began vomiting up seawater and noticed that Konanki was no longer in sight and assumed she had returned to her hotel room. Riibe said he fell asleep in a beach chair before eventually returning to his room. Hotel surveillance footage shows Riibe returning to his hotel room around 9 a.m. on March 6. Police "clarified that the person of interest is not a suspect," Subbarayudu told reporters. "Keep our daughter in your prayers," he said, adding that he and his wife have other children to care for as they "try to move on" with their lives. He said Sudiksha was "very bright" and "wanted to pursue medicine," which is why she had enrolled in pre-med at Pitt. Subbarayudu also said he and his wife believe in the authorities "100%." The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office in Virginia, where Konanki is from, issued a Tuesday statement sharing her family's belief that she drowned. "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," the sheriff's office said. Ribbe, who is believed to be one of the last people seen with Konanki, had a hearing Tuesday concerning his writ of habeas corpus, or his challenge to the Dominican Republic's decision to confiscate his passport and hold him in the country since March 6. A judge ultimately agreed with Riibe that he had been unlawfully detained, and he has another hearing scheduled for March 28. It was not immediately clear when he might be able to leave the Dominican Republic. Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota who has not been accused of a crime but is considered a crucial witness in the case, had been held under surveillance at the resort since Konanki was reported missing. His family has called his continued required presence in the country "irregular."
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Yahoo
Witness Insists He Saved Sudiksha Konanki From Drowning Amid Search
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." More from E! Online Sudiksha Konanki Case: Person of Interest Details Terrifying Last Encounter Before Disappearance Gene Hackman Case: Actor's 3 Kids Left Out of His Will En Vogue Alum Dawn Robinson Offered Job by Ex-Husband After Sharing She's Living in Her Car 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? For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
