Parents of Missing Student Want Her Declared Dead, Person of Interest Goes Home

Nationwide — The family of Sudiksha Konanki, the 20-year-old missing University of Pittsburgh student, has formally requested that authorities in the Dominican Republic declare her deceased, according to a police spokesperson. According to NBC News, a spokesperson for the Dominican Republic National Police confirmed that her parents submitted a letter asking for an official declaration of death.

“Initiating [the death declaration process] will allow our family to begin the grieving process and address matters related to her absence,” the letter states. “While no declaration can truly ease our grief, we trust that this step will bring some closure and enable us to honor her memory.”

Her dad commented, “Both sides of the authorities have shown us how high the ocean waves were at the time of the incident, and both sides of the authorities have clarified the person of interest was not a suspect from the beginning,” he said according to the paper. “It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that we are coming to terms with the fact our daughter has drowned.”

Sudiksha disappeared on March 6th while on a spring break trip with friends in the Caribbean nation. Despite an extensive search, her body has yet to be recovered.

A junior biology student at the University of Pittsburgh, Konanki was from Loudoun County, Virginia, where her family resides. She was last seen after going to the beach with friends, but she chose to stay behind with people she had met on the trip. She vanished sometime after 4:15 a.m.

The last known person to have seen her is Joshua Riibe, a 22-year-old senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. Dominican authorities confiscated his passport as part of their investigation, his attorneys confirmed. NBC News observed Riibe on the beach in Punta Cana with investigators on Sunday, where he was seen gesturing toward the sea while security officials restricted access to the area.

In an interview with investigators, Joshua stated that he and Sudiksha were in waist-deep water, talking and kissing, when a strong wave pulled them out to sea. He recounted trying to help her breathe but struggled himself, swallowing a significant amount of water. He claimed he managed to bring her back to shore but then lost sight of her.

Authorities in the Dominican Republic have stated that no evidence of foul play has been found, and no suspects have been named in the case. The U.S. has categorized the situation as a missing persons case rather than a criminal matter.

Meanwhile, a judge ruled that Joshua is free to leave the Dominican Republic. He is reportedly already back in the U.S.