The parents of Sudiksha Konanki, the University of Pittsburgh student who went missing in the Dominican Republic, have officially requested that authorities declare her death.
Even though the 20-year-old woman’s body was never found, authorities concluded that it is likely that she drowned.
Riibe was with Sudiksha in the water before passing out due to alcohol consumption
In a letter sent to local officials, Subbarayudu and SreeDevi Konanki expressed their desire for the legal declaration of their daughter’s death to proceed. According to the letter, Dominican authorities determined that Sudiksha had drowned after an extensive search in which only her clothes were found on the beach where she was last seen on March 6th.
The parents also urged the authorities to stop any suspicions surrounding Joshua Riibe, the Iowa student who was the last person to see her alive. According to his account, Riibe was with Sudiksha in the water before passing out due to alcohol consumption.
To date, no evidence of a crime has been found and Riibe has been cooperating with the investigation.
“The person who was with her is fully cooperating and there are no indications that a crime has occurred,” they stated in their letter without directly mentioning her name. They also emphasized that their request aims to put an end to the uncertainty and allow their family to begin the grieving process.
For the Konanki family, the legal declaration of death represents a crucial step in their healing and closure process. “While nothing will ease our pain, we trust that this procedure will provide us with some comfort and allow us to honor their memory,” they expressed in the letter.
The parents' request coincided with Riibe’s lawyer’s request for his client to stop being under police surveillance. Although he has been considered a person of interest in the investigation, no charges have ever been brought against him. The investigation remains a case of great public relevance.