'Declare Her Dead': Missing Sudiksha Konanki's Parents Make Heartbreaking Request to Dominican Officials

Virginia: Sudiksha Konanki, the missing Indian-origin student, who has been missing for over a week, still remains untraceable. As the search for the young girl continues, Konanki's parents have made a heartbreaking request to the Dominican officials, asking them to declare their daughter dead.

‘Declare Her Dead': Sudiksha Konanki's Parents' Heartbreaking Request to Dominican Officials

The family of 20-year-old Indian student Sudiksha Konanki, who has been missing, has requested that authorities in the Dominican Republic officially declare her deceased, as reported by US media outlets. Despite a thorough search effort, her body remains unrecovered. 

Also Read: Sudiksha Konanki Case: New Bar Video And Beach Clues Fuel Mystery Around Missing Indian Student in Dominican Republic

According to Dominican Republic National Police spokesperson Diego Pesqueira, the Konanki family has submitted a letter to the police asking for a death declaration, as reported by NBC News on Tuesday. The family did not provide a comment when contacted on Monday evening.

Sudiksha Konanki's New Video Before Her Mysterious Disappearance Surfaces

A newly emerged video has added a new layer of intrigue to the case of 20-year-old Sudiksha Konanki's mysterious disappearance in the popular Dominican Republic resort town of Punta Cana. The video, shared by Dominican news outlet Noticia SIN, allegedly shows Konanki with a group of friends, including Joshua Ribe, who is now considered a "person of interest" in the case and has been in police custody for being the last man to have been seen with Sudiksha before her mysterious disappearance.

In the footage, a woman believed to be Konanki is seen briefly covering her mouth with her hand before stepping away and crouching over a grassy area. After a short moment, she appears to regain her energy, joyfully jumping and hugging a friend. Meanwhile, a man dressed in white, thought to be Ribe, is visible outside a bar, appearing upset, while another person tries to console him. Both Konanki and Ribe are seen wearing the same clothing as in previously released surveillance footage, where they are walking together less than two hours before her disappearance.

Also Read: Missing Indian-Origin Student Sudiksha Konanki's Last Video Before She Mysteriously Disappeared | WATCH

Indian-Origin Student Sudiksha Konanki Missing | What We Know

Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old student of Indian descent from the University of Pittsburgh, went on a spring break trip to the Dominican Republic with her friends, but the vacation took a tragic turn when she vanished without a trace one morning. The last sighting of her was six days ago, walking along the beach in a brown bikini, and she has not been seen since. Despite extensive search efforts, she remains unaccounted for.

Police suggest that Sudiksha Konanki may have drowned after jumping into the ocean. However, her family has dismissed the theory of accidental drowning and believes there could have been foul play involved. In an exclusive interview with a US-based news outlet, her father expressed his concerns, stating that while local authorities are treating her disappearance as an accidental drowning, he has filed a complaint requesting a more thorough search. 

Joshua Steven Ribe, a 24-year-old tourist from Iowa, was the last person to see Sudiksha Konanki alive. Local reports indicate that he has provided three different versions of the events that occurred on the day of her disappearance. In his first account, he claimed that after an all-night party, they went into the ocean, and he returned to the shore after feeling ill from the rough waves, checking to see if Konanki was okay. In his second version, Ribe stated that he left the water after becoming unwell, leaving Sudiksha in knee-deep water, and then passed out; when he woke up, she was gone. His final statement was that he saw Konanki walking along the beach before falling asleep, but when he woke up, she was no longer there.