Police are dividing search areas and assigning drones to certain sectors.
Digital Desk: The family members of Sudiksha Konanki who was studying at the University of Pittsburgh have asked the Dominican Republic's national law enforcement to declare her dead.
The twenty-year-old Konanki went missing while on spring break vacation in Punta Cana. The hotel staff saw Konanki for the last time in early March. The local police of the Dominican Republic indicated they got the declaration request for the victim’s parents to declare her dead but they have neglected to provide additional information.
Officials have been searching for two weeks since they believe she might have drowned even though foul play cannot be completely excluded. St. Cloud State University student Joshua Riibe who is 22 years old remains the final witness to have seen Sudiksha Konanki. The investigation does not have any criminal accusations against him nor does it have a pronounced person under suspicion.
Indian national Konanki is a U.S. permanent resident and lived in Chantilly Virginia. She was a student of the University of Pittsburgh and majored in biology and chemistry, moreover she traveled with her female group of five friends.
CCTV footage shows Konanki with several friends walked towards the beach as Riibe and another American male accompanied them. Dominican police state the hotel guests went back to their lodging but Konanki stayed at the beach together with Riibe. He claimed they were pulled out to sea by a large wave, and though he managed to return to shore, he believed she got out of the water before vanishing.
Authorities have spent many hours searching for her on land on water coupled with AI-assisted video reviews. Every area of the beach was scanned and showed no evidence of violent activity during the investigation.
University of Pittsburgh declared its collaboration with local authorities and the FBI along with DEA and Department of Homeland Security.
Interpol has issued a global alert regarding her disappearance.
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