A Tragic Disappearance

20-Year-Old College Student Vanishes During Spring Break

Photo by Nattu Adnan on Unsplash

On March 6, Sudiksha Konanki, a student at the University of Pittsburgh, went missing while on spring break in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Konanki and three of her friends had traveled to the country three days before her disappearance. The police stated that she was last seen on the beach outside her hotel around 6 a.m. with a man named Joshua Riibe. Riibe was then taken into custody but has since been released, as police do not believe him to be a suspect.

According to the transcript of an interview with prosecutors, reported by Dominican media as well as NBC and Telemundo, Riibe told police he was drinking with Konanki on the beach and they were kissing in the ocean when they got caught in a current. Riibe said he was a former lifeguard and helped bring her ashore. He told investigators he vomited upon reaching the beach and that Konanki said she was going to fetch her things. When he looked up, she was gone. He said he was later surprised to hear of her disappearance.

After two weeks of extensive searching, local authorities believe that Konanki drowned.