The mysterious disappearance of an American college student in the Dominican Republic has captured national and international attention.
Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student from Loudon County, Virginia, was last seen walking on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the early morning hours of March 6. She has yet to be located.
Here is what we know so far about the events leading up to and after Konanki’s disappearance:
March 5
Konanki was in the Dominican Republic, staying at the five-star RIU Republica Resort with a group of six female Pitt students, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital.
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Sudiksha Konanki in a Facebook selfie photo. The 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh junior has been missing since March 6, when she vanished during a spring break trip to a five-star resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Sudiksha Konanki/Facebook)
Konanki was seen walking on the beach with six people that evening prior to her disappearance, three Dominican officials told ABC News.
Most of the people in the group returned to the hotel that night, but one person stayed behind with Konanki on the beach into the early morning hours of March 6, ABC News reported, citing an investigative police report.
A member of the civil defense canine unit searches on Monday for Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student from the U.S. who disappeared on a beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, last week. (AP/Francesco Spotorno)
March 6
Konanki was seen for the last time after 4 a.m. walking on the beach outside the RIU Republica Resort, according to a flyer being circulated online.
La Policia Nacional, the country’s national police force, said a male friend who was with Konanki around the time of her disappearance is under investigation.
It is unclear who the “young man” is, but police said he was in the water at the same beach, and they are questioning him in an attempt to corroborate his version of events, according to a translation of a Spanish-language statement.
Local outlet Noticias SIN reported that a man, who was also a guest at the same resort, was the last person seen with Konanki and reportedly told police several different versions of what happened.
The man reportedly said he entered the water with Konanki, but the rough surf made him sick, so he went back to shore, leaving Konanki in the water.
In another version of the story, he said he felt sick and left Konanki in knee-deep water before he passed out on the beach. The man additionally claimed he saw Konanki walking on the beach before he fell asleep on the beach, according to reporting from Noticias SIN.
Military personnel search for Sudiksha Konanki, a college student from the U.S. who disappeared on a beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on Monday, March 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Francesco Spotorno)
March 8
The Embassy of India in the Dominican Republic said it is working with the State Department and law enforcement on the ground, according to a Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson.
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“Our Sheriff’s Office is supporting those efforts and continuing to investigate locally,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Saturday morning.
Defensa Civil Dominicana, a Dominican Republic search and rescue force, completed a full day’s search with operations scheduled to resume on Sunday.
Sudiksha Konanki appears in an undated photo on her TikTok profile. She was last seen on March 6 at a resort beach in Punta Cana. (@sudikshakonanki/TikTok)
“The Orange Search and Rescue Unit, along with other institutions, worked from early Saturday hours, trying to find the whereabouts of the young woman, Sudiksha Konanki, without success,” the agency said in a social media post.
RIU Hotels said in a statement one of its guests has not been seen since the early hours of March 6.
Sudiksha Konanki was last seen in the early morning hours of March 6. (Facebook)
“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,” RIU Hotels said in a statement. “We would like to express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. The safety and well-being of our guests are our highest priority, and we are fully committed to doing everything in our power to assist in this situation.”
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The hotel added that its team is “providing full support to the authorities in the search, and an emergency protocol has been activated to ensure that all necessary measures are taken.”
March 9
Defensa Civil Dominicana resumed its search for Konanki at 6 a.m. on Sunday.
One report suggested Sudiksha Konanki drowned in the ocean in Punta Cana after getting swept up by a big wave. (AP/Francesco Spotorno)
March 10
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares told “Fox & Friends” on Monday morning his office was “still in the information-gathering stage.”
“Her friends have all been accounted for, that is the good news,” he said. “Obviously, our heart breaks for the family. We want to find her, we want to hopefully find her safe and sound. Right now, there is just so much that we don’t know.”
Military personnel and civil defense members search for Sudiksha Konanki, a student from the U.S. who disappeared on a beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on Monday, March 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Francesco Spotorno)
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When asked about a Monday report that Konanki may have drowned, a spokesperson for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital authorities “have heard this and have seen no evidence presented at this time.”
“As of last night, investigators were still actively interviewing persons who may have seen or been with her last Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, as well as reviewing surveillance video and phone records to help ascertain what happened and why,” spokesperson Thomas Julia said.
Fox News’ Greg Norman, Lorraine Taylor and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
