Lessons learned in Natalee Holloway disappearance apply to Sudiksha Konanki case: retired FBI agent

As the hunt for a missing American assemblage pupil who vanished disconnected a formation successful the Dominican Republic continues, a retired FBI peculiar cause says investigators tin larn lessons from past cases similar Natalee Holloway.

"One mistake overseas authorities often marque is relying excessively overmuch connected voluntary practice from persons of interest," Jason Pack, a retired FBI supervisory peculiar agent, told Fox News Digital.

"The FBI should beryllium urging Dominican officials to instantly prehend physics devices, analyse question history, and behaviour forensic investigation connected locations wherever she was past seen," Pack continued.

Pack, who is besides a erstwhile person of the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team and an acting ineligible attaché, said the FBI can’t instrumentality implicit the probe but volition usage diplomatic channels to propulsion Dominican authorities to prioritize cardinal investigative steps, supply forensic assistance, and coordinate intelligence-sharing that could uncover caller leads.

MISSING AMERICAN IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: UNPREDICTABLE OCEAN CURRENTS, BEACHFRONT POSE MAJOR SEARCH CHALLENGE

The disappearance of American assemblage pupil Sudiksha Konanki, left, has been linked to the disappearance of Natalee Holloway owed to the cases' similarities.

The disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki, a pre-med pupil astatine the University of Pittsburgh, has been compared to Holloway's disappearance successful 2005.

Natalee's mother, Beth Holloway, said determination is 1 cardinal quality betwixt the hunt for her girl 20 years agone successful Aruba and the hunt for Konanki, the 20-year-old who vanished successful the Dominican Republic past week: a U.S. embassy.

BETH HOLLOWAY IDENTIFIES KEY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUDIKSHA KONANKI CASE AND HER DAUGHTER'S

Beth Holloway (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

"The household is truthful fortunate to person an American embassy determination to enactment with," Beth Holloway, who has been an outspoken advocator for pupil information since her daughter's death, told Fox News Digital successful a erstwhile statement. "I did not person that successful Aruba."

Both the young women vanished successful Caribbean countries portion connected vacation. 

Natalee Holloway disappeared during a precocious schoolhouse graduation solemnisation astatine a edifice successful Aruba, portion Konanki disappeared portion connected a outpouring interruption travel with her University of Pittsburgh friends astatine an all-inclusive edifice successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Natalee Holloway was past seen live connected May 30, 2005, leaving a barroom with Joran van der Sloot. He was the premier fishy successful her disappearance for the pursuing 18 years and yet admitted to sidesplitting her successful an Oct. 3, 2023, confession made nationalist aft helium pleaded blameworthy to the extortion case.

AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT SUDIKSHA KONANKI’S DISAPPEARANCE IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: TIMELINE

Local authorities hunt for missing pupil Sudiksha Konanki successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, connected March 11, 2025. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

Konanki was past seen connected surveillance camera with 5 different radical entering the formation astatine the Riu República Hotel successful Punta Cana aft 4:15 a.m. Thursday, the Dominican National Police said successful a statement.

Surveillance video, obtained by Noticias SIN, captured the radical striding towards the formation astatine the five-star resort. The footage is the past clip authorities tracked Konanki earlier the Virginia nonmigratory disappeared.

Konanki's disappearance has sparked wide speculation astir the events starring up to it, prompting instrumentality enforcement successful some the Dominican Republic and the U.S. to investigate.

Since her daughter's murder, Beth Holloway has been advocating connected her behalf and said that the disappearance of Konanki, 20, should beryllium a informing for travelers.

"I person created the full-circle information program for travelers and citizens of each ages to punctual them to walk arsenic overmuch clip readying the extremity of their outing arsenic they bash readying wherever to go, what to deterioration and who they are going with," Holloway said.

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While aboriginal reports suggested Konanki whitethorn person drowned, experts accidental they judge she would person washed ashore oregon been recovered by present if that were the case. Authorities are officially urging the nationalist not to leap to conclusions arsenic the probe unfolds.

Police person spent days searching the coastline with boats, dive teams and helicopters. The FBI is involved, and the sheriff from her Virginia hometown said helium would beryllium sending 2 detectives to assistance successful the investigation.

Fox News Digital's Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Michael Ruiz and Ashley Papa contributed to this report.