Parents of missing American college student share why they asked for daughter's death declaration

The parents of Sudiksha Konanki, the University of Pittsburgh pupil who went missing from the Dominican Republic connected March 6, person spoken retired aft telling authorities to state their girl dead.

Their connection comes aft they sent a missive to La Policia Nacional, the Dominican nationalist constabulary force, connected Monday stating that "Dominican authorities person concluded that Sudiksha is believed to person drowned."

"Both sides of the authorities person shown america however precocious the water waves were astatine the clip of the incident," Subbarayudu Konanki, Sudiksha's father, told reporters connected Tuesday, adding that her decease has been "difficult to process."

Sudiksha Konanki was reported missing connected March 6 from the edifice wherever she was staying successful Punta Cana. It was aboriginal revealed that the 20-year-old assemblage pupil went swimming during a red-flag informing with a antheral edifice guest, who is considered a witnesser successful Konanki's disappearance but not a fishy oregon idiosyncratic of interest.

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Sudiksha Konanki's parents talk retired aft her daughter's death. (FOX 5 DC)

"It is with heavy sadness and a dense bosom that we are coming to the presumption with the information that our girl is gone," Subbarayudu said Tuesday.

"We were going done excessively overmuch symptom each these days, and we were saddened, and we were not capable to judge this."

The witness, 22-year-old Joshua Riibe of Iowa, seemingly told Dominican authorities that portion they were swimming, a ample question crashed implicit them, according to a translated transcript of his interrogation to constabulary shared with Fox News. 

KEY WITNESS IN AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT'S DISAPPEARANCE TELLS POLICE HOW THEY MET, WHAT HAPPENED ON BEACH

Sudiksha Konanki, 20, from bluish Virginia, was archetypal reported missing connected Thursday, March 6, aft disappearing from a formation successful the Dominican Republic.  (Handout, left, and Defensa Civil Dominicana, right.)

He said helium tried to assistance her and past saw her wading done knee-deep water. He past began vomiting up seawater and noticed that Konanki was nary longer successful show and assumed she had returned to her edifice room. Riibe said helium fell dormant successful a formation seat earlier yet returning to his room. 

Hotel surveillance footage shows Riibe returning to his edifice country astir 9 a.m. connected March 6.

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Joshua Riibe arrives astatine a Dominican Republic courthouse alongside his father, Albert Riibe, connected Tuesday, March 18, 2025. Riibe is simply a cardinal witnesser successful the disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki, an American assemblage pupil who went missing portion swimming connected a Punta Cana formation connected March 6. (Fox News Digital)

Police "clarified that the idiosyncratic of involvement is not a suspect," Subbarayudu told reporters.

"Keep our girl successful your prayers," helium said, adding that helium and his woman person different children to attraction for arsenic they "try to determination on" with their lives. He said Sudiksha was "very bright" and "wanted to prosecute medicine," which is wherefore she had enrolled successful pre-med astatine Pitt.

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People bask clip connected the formation astatine the RIU Republica Resort successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Friday, March 14, 2025. Sudiksha Konanki, 20, was past seen connected a formation extracurricular the five-star RIU Republica Resort successful the Dominican Republic connected March 6, 2025. (Fox News Digital)

Subbarayudu besides said helium and his woman judge successful the authorities "100%."

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office successful Virginia, wherever Konanki is from, issued a Tuesday connection sharing her family's content that she drowned.

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

"While a last determination to marque specified a declaration rests with authorities successful the Dominican Republic, we volition enactment the Konanki household successful each mode imaginable arsenic we proceed to reappraisal the grounds and accusation made disposable to america successful the people of this investigation," the sheriff's bureau said.

Ribbe, who is believed to beryllium 1 of the past radical seen with Konanki, had a proceeding Tuesday concerning his writ of habeas corpus, oregon his situation to the Dominican Republic's determination to confiscate his passport and clasp him successful the state since March 6.

People bask clip connected the formation astatine the RIU Republica Resort 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)

A justice yet agreed with Riibe that helium had been unlawfully detained, and helium has different proceeding scheduled for March 28. It was not instantly wide erstwhile helium mightiness beryllium capable to permission the Dominican Republic.

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Riibe, a elder astatine St. Cloud State University successful Minnesota who has not been accused of a transgression but is considered a important witnesser successful the case, had been held nether surveillance astatine the edifice since Konanki was reported missing.

His household has called his continued required beingness successful the state "irregular."

Fox News' Michael Ruiz, Mara Robles and Nate Foy contributed to this report.