Parents of Pittsburgh student missing in Caribbean seek death certificate

SANTO DOMINGO - The parents of an India-born student from a US university who went missing earlier in March at a popular tourist resort in the Dominican Republic have asked the police to declare their daughter legally dead, according to a letter released by a police source on March 17.

The investigation into the case remains open.

Ms Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old pre-med student at the University of Pittsburgh, went missing on March 6 – two days before an international day of activism for women’s rights – during a spring break trip to Punta Cana.

She had arrived in the Caribbean nation three days earlier and had been staying at an upscale hotel on the eastern coast. She was last seen in early-morning surveillance footage making her way to a nearby beach with a group of friends.

“Following an extensive search, Dominican authorities have concluded that Sudiksha is believed to have drowned... the individual last seen with her is cooperating with the investigation, and no evidence of foul play has been found,” the letter said.

“Given these circumstances, and after much deliberation, we request that the police department proceed with the legal declaration of her death,” it added.

Shortly after Ms Konanki’s disappearance, which sparked an Interpol alert, the Indian Embassy in the Dominican Republic said it was “extending all assistance in coordination with government authorities”.

Asked about the investigation in a weekly press conference on March 17, President Luis Abinader said the local authorities were collaborating with officials from the United States, including from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

“The investigation is ongoing,” he said. “We trust it will have a result in due time.”

The Dominican Republic hosted over 11 million tourists in 2024 – around the same as its own population and making it one of