Sudiksha Konanki. Photo:
Handout
The parents of Sudiksha Konanki, the University of Pittsburgh student who went missing while on spring break in the Dominican Republic, are heartbroken after her presumed death.
“Whatever happened is the saddest thing that could have happened in their lives and they’re still trying to come to terms with everything that’s happened,” family friend Krishna Duddukuri tells PEOPLE.
Konaki, a 20-year-old resident of Chantilly, Va., was last seen on surveillance video heading toward a beach at Riu Republica Resort in Punta Cana on March 6. Authorities have been searching the area but her body has not been recovered.
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Days after her disappearance, Joshua Riibe, the Iowa native believed to have been the last person to see Konaki alive, was named a person of interest by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia, where her parents live. However, on March 18, a spokesperson for the the sheriff’s office said that Riibe was no longer considered a person of interest, adding that he has cooperated with authorities.
“It’s still not a criminal investigation in any way from our perspective. He is not considered a suspect by us.” Chad Quinn, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, told PEOPLE.
This week, Konaki’s parents, Subbarayudu and Sreedevi Konanki, sent a letter to authorities in the Dominican Republic requesting a death declaration, noting that authorities concluded she had drowned.
“Initiating [the death declaration process] will allow our family to begin the grieving process and address matters related to her absence,” the letter obtained by PEOPLE states. “While no declaration can truly ease our grief, we trust that this step will bring some closure and enable us to honor her memory.”
“The individual last seen with her is cooperating with the investigation, and no evidence of foul play has been found,” the letter adds.
