Family of U.S. student missing in the Dominican Republic believes she drowned

The family of Sudiksha Konanki, the University of Pittsburgh junior who went missing in early March during a spring break trip with friends, believes she died of accidental drowning, according to Loudoun County, Va., law enforcement.

“The disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki is tragic, and we cannot imagine the grief her family has been feeling,” Loudoun County Sheriff Michael Chapman said in a statement on Tuesday. Konanki’s family, including her parents and two younger siblings, live in Loudoun County.

“Sudiksha’s family has expressed their 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 director of media relations, Thomas Julia, said in an email to NPR that even if the Dominican authorities acknowledge Konanki’s death as an accidental drowning, “We believe there are still pieces of this investigation that should be completed as part of ordinary due diligence in a missing person investigation.”

Konanki, 20, traveled to Punta Cana with five other people earlier this month. Three days into their trip, Konanki entered a beach area with a group at 4:15 am, around which time she disappeared, Dominican national police said.

International authorities have launched a sprawling investigation into the circumstances surrounding Konanki’s disappearance. The Dominican police and Loudoun County Sheriff’s department have been working on the investigation and recovery efforts alongside several other U.S. federal authorities, including the U.S. State Department, FBI, Department of Homeland Security and Drug Enforcement Administration.

The University of Pittsburgh, where Konanki was studying biological sciences and chemistry on the pre-med track, also said in a statement last week it was cooperating with the investigation.

A Minnesota college student, 22-year-old Joshua Riibe, was named as a person of interest in the case last week. The case has not been treated as a criminal investigation and Riibe was not a suspect, but he remains in Punta Cana under the order of local authorities, Julia said.

Authorities suspect Riibe may have been the last person to see Konanki alive, and her family initially feared that there might have been foul play involved, Julia said.

But a family letter to Loudoun police yesterday “appears to suggest a different point of view, at least for the purpose of seeking closure for the parents and other children” and supports the theory of an accidental drowning, Julia said.

NBC News reported that Riibe told investigators that he and Konanki had been drinking together and wandered out into the ocean’s currents where she was swept out to sea.

According to a transcript NBC reviewed, Riibe, a former lifeguard, reportedly said he was able to rescue Konanki from the powerful currents at one point, but shortly thereafter lost track of her. NPR has not independently confirmed the reporting, and the Dominican Central Directorate of Tourism Police did not immediately reply to a request for those transcripts.

Residents of Riibe’s hometown, Rock Rapids, Iowa, expressed their support for the St. Cloud University student via a statement through the Lyon County sheriff’s office.

“Josh has an unwavering devotion to his faith and a genuine kindness towards others. He exemplifies the values of compassion, respect, and integrity that are fundamental to our church and our community,” the statement, signed by “Friends of the Joshua Riibe Family,” said.