The medical student from the University of Pittsburgh, Sudiksha Konanki, 20 years old, has not been the only tourist to go missing on the beaches of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. There have been cases of other visitors who have not been seen again, neither alive nor dead.
The young medical student arrived at these beaches with five friends for their spring break vacation. She stayed at the Riu Republic Resort, but she hasn’t been seen since March 6th when she went to the shore. The last person who saw her was young Joshua Riibe from Iowa, but authorities have not found any evidence indicating he is responsible for her disappearance.
The search for the girl continues actively by water and land, with FBI agents and various agencies from the Dominican Republic as part of an unprecedented operation, but it is striking that in the area, there are already cases of other tourists who have disappeared and were never found again.
According to Dominican Today, the New York Post reported that on January 17 of this year, three tourists staying at the Hotel Riu Republica in Punta Cana were swept away by the waters and drowned. Their bodies were never found. A fourth tourist from Russia was hospitalized.
According to The Post, two Polish individuals, Marcin Teodor Checinski, 47 years old, and Sylwia Aleksandra, 52 years old, along with the Portuguese tourist Nelzon Nunes Ribeiro, 67 years old, also drowned at this beach in Punta Cana.
The aforementioned media outlet reported that in 2023, Jorene Richards, a 67-year-old American tourist, drowned off the coast; while in another incident, a family of four and a newlywed couple were swept away by the beach.
In Punta Cana, they are not ruling out anything regarding the disappearance of the University of Pittsburgh student
Although initially the case of the University of Pittsburgh student was being treated as a drowning in Punta Cana, now authorities are not ruling out anything.
The Attorney General and the police of the Dominican Republic have extended the investigation into Sudiksha Konanki, “beyond an accidental event” and are “examining all variables,” as reported by the New York Post.
“We are using all our resources to thoroughly investigate the disappearance of Konanki Sudiksha Chowdary and understand the distress that this case causes to her family, Dominicans, and Americans,” said the Attorney General of the Dominican Republic, Yeni Berenice Reynoso, as reported in the aforementioned media outlet."
He added that “as with any disappearance that occurs under the circumstances of the case in question, we are applying a holistic investigation protocol that examines all variables.”