Authorities believe the University of Pittsburgh student who vanished in the Dominican Republic last week drowned after she was caught in a big wave, according to a report.
Sudiksha Konanki, 20, was with six other people on a Punta Cana beach Wednesday night before most of the group packed up and called it a night, while she and one other person stayed on the sand through early Thursday morning, three Dominican officials told ABC News Sunday night.
Konanki, a legal permanent US resident who lived in an upscale suburb of Washington, DC, and the other person then went for a swim where they faced a huge wave, according to an investigative police report cited by the outlet.
Konanki, who is an Indian national, traveled with five friends from Pitt to the sunny Caribbean island and was reportedly swimming with a “young man” leading up to the tragedy, local outlet Listin Diario reported earlier.
He was questioned by investigators, though it was unclear if he was also a Pitt student.
Konanki was last spotted at the beach on surveillance video around 4:15 a.m. Thursday, the Dominican Republic Public Ministry told ABC News.
Rescue teams set off a desperate search for the young woman, including using helicopters and drones to scour the water while crews combed over the white sands.
She was last seen wearing a brown bikini along with bracelets on both arms and an anklet, according to authorities.
