Authorities have discovered clothing believed to belong to missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki on a lounge chair at the Dominican Republic beach where she mysteriously vanished over a week ago, according to local reports.
Images obtained by CDN show a white netted sarong draped over a beach chair and a pair of sand-covered beige flip-flops next to it. The beachwear closely resembles the outfit Konanki, 20, was last seen wearing in surveillance footage from the night of her disappearance. Investigators stated that the clothing appeared undisturbed.
Mysterious disappearance and last known moments
Konanki, a Virginia native of Indian origin, was reported missing around 4 pm on March 6 by friends with whom she had travelled to the RIU Hotel & Resort in Punta Cana for spring break.
Surveillance footage captured Konanki walking with Joshua Riibe, 22, a senior at Minnesota’s St Cloud State University, near the beach at 4.15 am on the night she vanished. At one point, the two were seen holding hands, while Konanki’s other friends were nearby.
Most of the group eventually returned to the hotel, leaving Konanki on the beach with Riibe, local media reported. Officials suspect a power outage at the resort, which disabled surveillance cameras, led them to remain by the water.
Riibe later told police that he saved Konanki from rough waters but lost sight of her in the darkness before parting ways, according to a transcript obtained by Dominican Republic’s Noticias Sin. However, officials say Riibe has given multiple conflicting accounts of the night’s events.
Riibe named person of interest
Dominican authorities, who initially suspected drowning, have not ruled out foul play and named Riibe a person of interest in the case. While he is not a suspect, he remains under 24-hour surveillance as the investigation intensifies.
Riibe’s parents have claimed he has been detained under irregular conditions and was questioned without an official translator or legal counsel until March 12, according to a statement reported by WTAE. Despite this, they have urged for justice and transparency in the case.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s office in Virginia has also identified Riibe as a person of interest but emphasised that no charges have been filed.
Search enters the eighth day
As the search for Konanki enters its eighth day, missing person posters describe her as 5-foot-3, with black hair and brown eyes. Dominican officials have vowed to intensify interrogations and continue efforts to locate the missing student.