Missing American college student’s spring break disappearance ‘too early’ to rule drowning: Virginia sheriff

A sheriff successful Virginia is pushing backmost against the communicative that a missing University of Pittsburgh pupil from his region drowned successful the Dominican Republic, saying that it is "too aboriginal to regularisation thing out."

Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman told Fox News' Aishah Hasnie connected "America Reports" that they are "pursuing each angle" successful the disappearance of 20-year-old Sudiksha Konanki, who was past seen connected a formation successful Punta Cana.

"As you know, the Dominican authorities are moving hard. They're conducting interviews and looking implicit phones and trying to get the champion accusation available," helium said. "We're moving with our officers and our State Department and our U.S. Embassy down determination and the FBI and others that person been each portion of this happening since this probe began."

Konanki was connected abrogation with 5 different pistillate University of Pittsburgh students earlier her disappearance successful the aboriginal greeting hours connected March 6, officials said.

AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT BELIEVED TO HAVE DROWNED IN BIG WAVE: REPORT

Sudiksha Konanki successful a Facebook selfie photo. The 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh inferior has been missing since March 6, erstwhile she vanished during a outpouring interruption travel to a five-star edifice successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Sudiksha Konanki/Facebook)

Konanki, who was studying pre-med, was past seen walking on the formation connected the Caribbean island, 3 Dominican officials told ABC News.

One idiosyncratic allegedly stayed down with her until the aboriginal greeting hours, the outlet reported, citing an investigative constabulary report. Authorities successful the Dominican Republic said that Konanki and this idiosyncratic went for a aquatics and were caught successful a large wave.

PITT STUDENT VANISHES ON SPRING BREAK TRIP TO DOMINICAN REPUBLIC WHILE WALKING ON BEACH 

Investigators aboriginal were questioning a "young man" who went into the waters of the formation astir the clip Konanki vanished, the Dominican Republic paper Listin Diario reported. 

Chapman said that they privation to "turn implicit each rock" earlier concluding what happened to Konanki, declining to remark connected whom authorities questioned.

"Before we remark connected who precisely they're talking to, and what benignant of accusation they are getting astatine this constituent is excessively premature," helium said.

Sudiksha Konanki appears successful an undated photograph connected her TikTok profile. She was past seen connected March 6 astatine a edifice formation successful Punta Cana. (@sudikshakonanki/TikTok)

On Monday, authorities successful the Dominican Republic were utilizing drones, helicopters and dogs to hunt for Konanki, the Associated Press reported. 

"The hunt is underway astatine oversea due to the fact that it's presumed she drowned. According to the lad who was with her, the waves swept her away, but that is nether constabulary investigation," Jensen Sánchez, a Civil Defense spokesperson, told the AP.

Konanki’s parents flew to Punta Cana aft learning astir their daughter’s disappearance, according to WTOP. Her father, Subbarayudu Konanki, and a household person reportedly filed a ailment connected Sunday calling for section constabulary to grow the investigation.

"It’s 4 days, and if she was successful water, she would apt person been strewn to shore," Konanki's begetter told WTOP. "She’s not found, truthful we’re asking them to analyse aggregate options, similar kidnapping oregon abduction."

"Her belongings, including idiosyncratic items similar her telephone and wallet, were near with her friends, which is antithetic due to the fact that she ever carried her telephone with her," the outlet quoted her begetter penning successful the complaint. "In airy of these circumstances, I respectfully petition that the authorities instrumentality contiguous steps to analyse not lone the anticipation of an accidental drowning, but besides the anticipation of a kidnapping oregon foul play." 

Tourists locomotion on the enactment of the formation partially covered by sargassum astatine Bibijagua Beach successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, connected May 20, 2023.  (FELIX LEON/AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. Department of State – Travel Advisory

College students are flocking to fashionable outpouring interruption destinations extracurricular the United States, including Cancún, Mexico and Punta Cana. The destinations – portion offering abrogation options for assemblage students – are nether question advisories of the U.S. Department of State.

The Dominican Republic has a Level 2 question advisory, which means travelers are to workout accrued caution during their sojourn and beryllium alert of "heightened risks to information and security."

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"The wide availability of weapons, the usage and commercialized of illicit drugs and a anemic transgression justness strategy lend to the precocious level of criminality connected the broader scale," according to the question advisory.

Fox News Digital's Greg Norman contributed to this report.