Sudiksha Konanki. Photo:
- University of Pittsburgh junior Sudiksha Konanki, 20 — who was last seen going on an early morning beach walk on March 6 while on a Dominican Republic trip with friends — hung out at a bar at Riu Republica Resort in Punta Cana before her disappearance, per video footage shared by a local outlet
- Joshua Riibe, who has been named as a person of interest in the case but hasn’t been charged, was also seen in the clip, which was shared by Noticias SIN
- It’s thought Riibe may have been the last person to see Konanski alive before she went missing
A 20-year-old college student who went missing 11 days ago while on a spring speak trip in the Dominican Republic with friends was seen in video footage hanging out at a bar hours before her disappearance, it’s been reported.
University of Pittsburgh junior Sudiksha Konanki — a resident of Virginia’s Loudoun County — was last seen in the early hours of the morning on Thursday, March 6, while walking on a beach at Riu Republica Resort in Punta Cana, the Dominican Civil Defense and a missing poster shared on social media previously confirmed.
Konanki — an Indian citizen — was reportedly traveling in a group of six female Pittsburgh students, including one other Loudoun County resident, a spokesperson for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) previously told PEOPLE in a statement.
The friends have been questioned, along with person of interest Joshua Riibe, 24, who has been reported to possibly be the last person to have seen Konanski alive on the beach the morning she went missing. Riibe has not been accused or charged with any crime.
In footage shared by local outlet Noticias SIN on Instagram, Konanki can be seen at the bar at the Riu Republica hotel with friends in the hours before she went missing. The outlet stated Riibe was among those seen in the video taken at the resort, but the pair didn’t seem to interact at the time, per the clip.
Konanski had also been seen on surveillance footage in the hotel’s lobby before her disappearance in another clip shared on Instagram by the outlet. Despite the videos holding no key details regarding Konanski’s disappearance, they do show her whereabouts in the hotel in the hours before she vanished.
The Riu Republica Resort didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for comment on the two clips.
Noticias SIN had previously shared footage of Konanski and a man walking toward the beach on the morning she went missing. A man in the bar video, who appears to be Riibe, seems to be wearing the same tank top in both clips.
LCSO spokesperson Thomas Julia confirmed to PEOPLE on Wednesday, March 12 that Riibe was a “person of interest in what is still a missing person investigation.” The spokesperson wasn’t able to comment on whether Riibe had been the last person to see Konanki on the beach the morning she went missing.
Riibe could not immediately be reached for comment at the time.
Sources close to the investigation previously told ABC News and Dominican news outlet El Nacional that the missing student’s clothes were found on a chaise lounge on the beach and noted there were no signs of violence.
Dominican police confirmed to PEOPLE that clothes had been found but did not share more details.
Sudiksha Konanki. Sudiksha Konanki/Facebook
Konanki was last seen on video surveillance cameras with a group walking onto the beach around 4:15 a.m. local time on March 6, the Dominican Republic National Police said in a press release.
After most of the group left, Konanki stayed on the beach with one other person, ABC News reported, citing an investigative report from Dominican authorities.
She is believed to have subsequently drowned in the ocean after being caught by a big wave when she and the other person went for a swim, per the outlet — though that determination has been challenged as speculative by Loudon County authorities.
Authorities search the beach near where Sudiksha Konanki went missing. Defensa Civil Dominicana/Facebook
Police did not confirm the drowning aspect when contacted by PEOPLE, and the LCSO said in a statement that “there is no evidence or confirmation of a drowning at this time and the case is being aggressively investigated by U.S. law enforcement working with the Dominican national police, with support from assets here at home.”
According to police, Konanki’s body has yet to be recovered amid a “sea, air and land” search “in the entire periphery and surrounding areas, through the use of drones, helicopters, divers, boats, canine units and human personnel, among other technologies.”
Riibe’s parents recently released a statement, shared by Pittsburgh ABC affiliate WTAE, expressing their “deep sorrow and solidarity” with Konanki’s family, as they explained that their son had “fully cooperated in the search and clarification of the facts from the very beginning.”
Sudiksha Konanki. Facebook
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A prosecutor’s office source previously claimed that Riibe’s story changed over the course of four interrogations, PEOPLE previously reported. He maintains he first met Konanki at the hotel where they stayed and had been “partying” together with friends, the insider said.
“We are keeping all avenues of investigation open, but at this time we have no concrete elements that could lead us to believe that foul play was involved,” a police source told PEOPLE.
