About the College Student Missing in Punta Cana – Hollywood Life

Twenty-year-old Sudiksha Konanki was enjoying a spring break trip with friends in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, but everything changed when she disappeared. Since March 6, 2025, the college student has been missing, and her family has spoken out about the case. Sudiksha’s father, Subbarayudu Konanki, has provided public updates about his daughter’s disappearance and his communication with authorities. Less than two weeks after her disappearance, Konanki’s parents asked authorities to declare her dead.

Below, learn more about Sudiksha and her case.

Sudiksha Konanki Is Pursuing a Career in Medicine

Sudiksha’s father, Subbarayudu, said his daughter “is a very nice girl. She’s ambitious. She wanted to pursue a career in medicine,” according to CNN.

Sudiksha Konanki Is a University of Pittsburgh Student

Sudiksha is currently a junior at the University of Pittsburgh.

Where Is Sudiksha Konanki From?

Sudiksha resides with her family in Chantilly, Virginia. She is a citizen of India and permanent resident of the U.S.

Was Sudiksha Konanki Kidnapped?

Several theories have spread around the internet regarding Sudiksha’s disappearance, including speculation that she may have drowned. Her father has called on authorities to consider “multiple options, like kidnapping or abduction.”

“Her belongings, including personal items like her phone and wallet, were left with her friends, which is unusual because she always carried her phone with her,” Subbarayudu said, according to multiple outlets.

Civil Defense Director Juan Salas, however, said investigators have not found her clothing, according to 6ABC.

What Happened to Sudiksha Konanki?

Officials have conducted a widespread search by air, sea and land to find Sudiksha. “So far, the authorities, multiple authorities here in the Dominican Republic have searched in the waters,” Subbarayudu said, according to CNN. “They searched using helicopters and other tools. They also searched in the near bay, bushes, trees. They went multiple times around the same areas.”

According to Sudiksha’s father, the 20-year-old “went to the beach on March 6 early morning around 4 a.m. with friends and some other guys they met at the resort. After that, her friends came back after some time and my daughter did not come back, did not show up from the beach.”

Surveillance footage surfaced showing five women and one man leaving the beach at the Riu República Hotel in Punta Cana at 5:55 a.m. on March 6, and Sudiksha seemingly stayed at the beach with another young man. By 9:55 a.m., the young man was captured leaving the beach in later surveillance video, but Sudiksha was nowhere to be seen.

Who Is Joshua Riibe?

Joshua Riibe was named a “person of interest” in Sudiksha’s disappearance but not a suspect. According to the New York Post, Joshua, 24, was seen hugging and walking hand in hand with Sudiksha before she vanished on March 6. The outlet reported that he gave conflicting accounts of when he last saw Sudiksha. One of his claims was that he allegedly passed out drunk on the beach where he was with Sudiksha and that he woke up to find her gone.

Is Sudiksha Konanki Dead?

Konanki has not been found by authorities at the time of publication, but her parents wrote a letter to Dominic Republic police asking to declare their daughter deceased.

“Following an extensive search, Dominican authorities have concluded that Sudiksha is believed to have drowned,” the Konankis wrote in their letter, per the New York Post. “Given these circumstances, and after much deliberation, we request that the police department proceed with the legal declaration of her death. Initiating this process will allow our family to begin the grieving process and address matters related to her absence. While no declaration can truly ease our grief, we trust that this step will bring some closure and enable us to honor her memory.”