FOUR tourists died in the choppy ocean waters at the Dominican Republic resort weeks before college students Sudiksha Konanki disappeared while on spring break vacation.
Konanki, 20, was last seen during the early morning hours of March 6 on the beach near Punta Cana’s Riu República Hotel – a five-star coastline resort with dangerously high waves and strong currents.
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The extensive search operation for Konanki, which includes over 300 law enforcement personnel, has entered its seventh day as American and foreign investigators continue to piece together the University of Pittsburgh student’s final moments.
Konanki’s disappearance in the Caribbean waters came weeks after four tourists died when they were swept away by strong currents off the coast of Punta Cana on January 17.
The four tourists, who were staying at the same resort as Konanki and five of her female friends, went for a swim in Playa Arena Gorda when they were slammed by strong waves and drowned, according to the Dominican Republic’s civil defense agency.
The bodies of all four were recovered from the waters on January 18.
Read more in The U.S. Sun
The victims were identified as Polish nationals Marcin Teodor Checinski, 47, and Sylwia Aleksandra, 52, Portuguese tourist Nelzon Nunes Ribeiro, 47, and Russian native Jakub Tomasz Pedziach.
Two other victims, who were swept away along with the four others, survived, the Dominican Republic’s civil defense agency said.
At the time of the January drownings, a red flag was flying on the beach to warn sunbathers of dangerous ocean conditions.
DANGEROUS CONDITIONS
On the day of Konanki’s disappearance, sea conditions were also dangerous, with high waves reported, Agustin Morillo Rodriguez, the general commander of the Dominican Republic navy, told CNN.
Previous guests of the Riu República Hotel, an all-inclusive adults only resort, have spoken of the rugged sea conditions during their stays.
Guest D’Lani Sweeney was staying at the resort on the same day Konanki went missing and recalled the waves being dangerously high.
“I remember the waves being a lot bigger than they normally were,” Sweeney told NewsNation.
“Me and my friends were on the beach and I remember telling them that I was not going to go into the ocean because I know I could swim but not that well enough to feel safe in the ocean.
“I know a couple of friends that did go in but they weren’t in for a while and there weren’t as many people in the ocean as we normally would see.”
Red flags were flying at the time Sweeney was on the beach, video showed.
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PERSON OF INTEREST
Meanwhile, as investigators comb the Caribbean sea for any sight of Konanki, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia, in the college student’s hometown in Virginia, has named a person of interest in her disappearance.
The sheriff’s office told The U.S. Sun they consider Joshua Steven Riibe, a 22-year-old who was also staying at the Riu hotel, a person of interest because he may have been the last person to have seen Konanki.
However, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office stressed Riibe has not been charged with a crime and is not considered a suspect.
“We want to be clean, this is not a criminal case, it is a missing persons case,” a sheriff’s official added.
“Person of interest does not mean suspect. It’s still an active investigation.”
Timeline of Sudiskha Konanki’s disappearance
SUDISHKA Konanki, 20, disappeared during a spring break trip to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.
Here’s a timeline of her last known movements.
- On March 6 at 3 am, Konanki and her five friends were seen dancing at Riu Republica Resort’s disco
- At around 4 am, surveillance captured the group leaving the resort with Joshua Steven Ribe, a 24-year-old from Iowa who they met on the trip
- At around 5:50 am, Konanki’s friends left the beach and headed home, but the now-missing student and Ribe stayed
- Ribe told cops that he passed out drunk on the beach at some point after that, and when he woke up, Konanki was gone
- Konanki was reported missing at 4 pm later that evening by her friends
Grainy surveillance photos showed Konanki and Riibe, a former high school football and wrestling athlete from Iowa, walking towards the beach with a group of people at around 4:15 am on March 6.
Several members of the group eventually left the beach and headed back to their hotel rooms, leaving Riibe and Konanki alone on the beach.
Riibe, who police said has been cooperative during their investigation, told officials that he and Konanki went for a swim, but were caught in a large wave.
The Iowa native claimed he was able to swim back to shore but got sick after swallowing seawater, according to the Daily Mail.
However, Riibe has given detectives three different versions of what happened that morning, according to the New York Post.
In another version, Riibe told investigators that he fell asleep on the beach, and the last thing he remembered was Konanki walking on the beach, but when he woke up, she was gone.
Riibe also claimed he felt sick and left Konanki alone, standing in knee-deep water.
Surveillance photos released on Wednesday showed a shirtless, barefoot Riibe walking alone on the resort grounds without Konanki.
Riibe traveled to Punta Cana for spring break as well; however, police have yet to make clear if he and Konanki knew each other before meeting on the Caribbean island.
Konanki’s parents, Subbarayudu and Sreedevi Konanki, have asked authorities to widen the investigation, including if their daughter could have been the victim of kidnapping or human trafficking.
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