A 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student from Chantilly, Virginia, has been reported missing while vacationing at a resort in the Dominican Republic, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.
Sudiksha Konanki was reported missing Thursday on the beach, according to Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Thomas Julia.
“We now believe there were six female students of the University of Pittsburgh traveling in Punta Cana,” Julia said. “At least two of whom, including the missing person, are residents of Loudoun County.”
Julia said that Konanki is also a citizen of India, “so, the embassy of India in the Dominican Republic has taken the lead on the ground, working with our State Department and local law enforcement there.”
The FBI has been briefed on the situation, Julia said.
According to a missing persons flyer, published in Listin Diario, a newspaper in the Dominican Republic, Konanki was last seen on March 6, at 4:50 a.m. on the beach at Riu Republica Resort.
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“We don’t know if there’s any foul play or if she accidentally went missing,” Julia said. “This is primarily being handled on the ground in the Dominican Republic.”
In a statement, a University of Pittsburgh spokesman said, “University officials are in contact with Sudiksha Konanki’s family as well as authorities in Loudoun County, Virginia, and we have offered our full support to find her and bring her home safely. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office at 703-777-1021.”
In an Instagram post, Defensa Civil, a Dominican Republic search and rescue group, said a full day of searching Saturday provided no details on her whereabouts, and that the search continues Sunday.
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