Missing American college student search potentially complicated by power outage: expert

A lengthy powerfulness outage astatine the Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, edifice wherever a missing American assemblage pupil had been vacationing for outpouring interruption could perchance interaction authorities' probe into her disappearance.

Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh pupil from Loudoun County, Virginia, was past seen walking connected a formation extracurricular the five-star RIU Republica Resort successful the aboriginal greeting hours of March 6. She has yet to beryllium located.

The edifice mislaid powerfulness opening connected Tuesday, March 4, astir 1:30 a.m., and 70% of powerfulness was restored by 3 a.m. By 2 a.m. connected Thursday, March 6, powerfulness had been afloat restored, RIU Resorts & Hotels told Fox News Digital successful a Wednesday statement.

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The edifice institution added that "in effect to publications linking the electrical nonaccomplishment experienced astatine the Riu Republica edifice with the tragic disappearance of impermanent Sudiksha Chowdary Konanki, RIU Hotels & Resorts wishes to firmly clarify that some events are wholly unrelated."

Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh junior, 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)

The edifice added that information cameras astir RIU Republica "were operational and, successful fact, recorded prime images during that time and nighttime arsenic determination was capable lighting."

Security camera footage captured Konanki walking from a edifice barroom to the formation with friends, including a young antheral with an limb wrapped astir her shoulders, astir 4:17 a.m. connected March 6. She was seemingly past seen connected the formation extracurricular the edifice astatine 4:50 a.m. Just earlier 6 a.m., her friends returned to the hotel, but Konanki was not with them.

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Loudoun County authorities person named a chap tourer arsenic a idiosyncratic of interest, arsenic helium was the past idiosyncratic to beryllium seen with Konanki. The American man, successful his 20s, has not been accused of immoderate crime.

Experts accidental that portion the powerfulness outage apt volition not forestall the postulation of surveillance video footage oregon cellphone data, it whitethorn complicate authorities' probe into Konanki's mysterious vanishing. 

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People bask clip connected the formation astatine the RIU Republica Resort successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, connected Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Sudiksha Konanki, 20, was past seen connected March 6 connected a formation extracurricular the five-star RIU Republica Resort successful the Dominican Republic. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

"It does person an interaction connected everything successful the probe if they've mislaid implicit power," The Lake Forest Group laminitis and CEO Michael Verden, a erstwhile Secret Service cause and manager of information for the NBA, told Fox News Digital.

Without power, information cameras successful definite areas of the edifice whitethorn person mislaid transportation adjacent if others retained connection. In different words, afloat powerfulness whitethorn person presented a fuller representation of Konanki's past movements earlier she vanished, though it is unclear if immoderate cameras did suffer transportation during the energy outage.

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Local authorities hunt for missing U.S. pupil Sudiksha Konanki successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was past seen connected March 6 connected a formation extracurricular the five-star RIU Republica Resort successful the Dominican Republic. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

"It's each evidentiary evidence," Verden explained. "With the powerfulness outage, however overmuch of that is impacted? Do immoderate of the cameras enactment active? Do each of them enactment active? Because if they suffer power, that could impact the investigation."

"If they suffer power, that could impact the investigation."

He added that the powerfulness outage could besides forestall guests from entering edifice rooms and, therefore, forestall investigators from determining erstwhile Konanki and her friends past entered their rooms earlier her disappearance. 

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U.S. assemblage pupil Sudiksha Konanki went missing portion connected abrogation with her friends successful Punta Cana connected March 6, 2025. (Fox News Graphics)

"The physics strategy gives you grounds ... and that could beryllium important to amusement entree anterior to her disappearance," Verden said, due to the fact that the edifice country keycard accusation could beryllium utile successful corroborating guests' statements astir erstwhile they were with Konanki versus erstwhile they arrived backmost astatine their rooms. This accusation would assistance authorities physique timelines for those contiguous during her past movements, helium said.

Tom Slovenski, a integer forensic adept and laminitis of Cellular Forensics, told Fox News Digital that contempt the energy outage astatine the resort, investigators volition inactive beryllium capable to way down cellphone operation information to find wherever and erstwhile Konanki was earlier she disappeared. 

Sudiksha Konanki was past seen successful the aboriginal greeting hours of March 6. (Facebook)

"They really got a batch of bully leads there, particularly with her not coming back. She was limb successful limb with the [person of interest]. And past the antheral comes back. He doesn't person her. So, I'd beryllium looking astatine [him] large time. And past wherever did helium go? You could find him connected those operation dumps. But if you cognize who helium is, you get clasp of his phone. You tin easy past usage the telephone item records and find retired wherever helium was, who helium was talking to. That benignant of thing," Slovenski explained.

He besides said that the cellphone towers could supply determination and clip information contempt a powerfulness outage astatine the edifice and adjacent contempt getting bedewed if Konanki and her friends went swimming, arsenic immoderate newer smartphones are waterproof. Phones person to beryllium powered connected for cellphone information to ping, but the phone's idiosyncratic does not person to beryllium making calls oregon texts. 

Local authorities hunt for missing U.S. pupil Sudiksha Konanki successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was past seen connected March 6 connected a formation extracurricular the five-star RIU Republica Resort successful the Dominican Republic. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

"Timing information is inactive going connected successful the background" truthful agelong arsenic cellphone information is being used, adjacent successful the background, Slovenski explained.

"They could evidently propulsion the telephone item records for her peculiar phone. They tin besides bash a operation dump with each of the providers of that connected that land … and past they tin spell done that to spot if they find idiosyncratic that looks plausible. … They tin spell up and get what's the timing beforehand records. What they bash is what's called the timing beforehand dump," Slovenski said. 

Local authorities hunt for missing U.S. pupil Sudiksha Konanki successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was past seen connected March 6 connected a formation extracurricular the five-star RIU Republica Resort successful the Dominican Republic. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

He described the timing beforehand arsenic the mode phones get "pings" from cellphone towers, which shows "the magnitude of clip it takes from the awesome to spell from the operation to the telephone backmost to the tower."

"They are able, we are capable to look astatine that country wherever that telephone was astir successful … and truthful from that, you're capable to way past however that telephone is moving," helium said.

POLICE REVEAL MALE FRIEND IS UNDER INVESTIGATION FOLLOWING KONANKI’S DISAPPEARANCE 

Military unit hunt for Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh pupil from the U.S. who disappeared connected a formation successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, connected Monday, March 10. (AP/Francesco Spotorno)

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) said successful a Tuesday connection that "[t]here has been sizeable nationalist speculation astir what whitethorn person happened to Konanki and who whitethorn beryllium involved."

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"We caution anyone from drafting immoderate unsubstantiated conclusions and are committed to ensuring that a thorough probe is conducted earlier immoderate conclusions are reached," they said successful a quality release. "The LCSO is hopeful for the harmless instrumentality of Sudiksha Konanki, and we are committed to supporting this probe and her household successful each mode possible."

Authorities are asking anyone with accusation to interaction the LCSO astatine 703-777-1021. To stay anonymous, telephone the Loudoun Crime Solvers astatine 703-777-1919.