Sudiksha Konanki missing: St. Cloud State student is 'person of interest'
PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic (FOX 9) - A St. Cloud State University student has been named a "person of interest" in Sudiksha Konanki's case, a University of Pittsburgh student who was last seen on a beach in the Dominican Republic.
Konanki's disappearance
The backstory:
Konanki, 20, was reported missing while vacationing with five college friends at a Riu República Hotel in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. She was last seen on the beach in the early morning of March 6, authorities said. The hotel noted Konanki’s disappearance coincided with a power outage that prompted multiple guests to head to the beach.
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Konanki is a Loudon County, Virginia, resident and a student at the University of Pittsburgh. She is a citizen of India, but is a permanent resident of the United States.
The Loudon County Sheriff's Office is assisting the U.S. Department of State, FBI, the Dominican National Police and others in the investigation into Konanki's disappearance.
St. Cloud State student a ‘person of interest’
What they're saying:
The Loudon County Sheriff's Office told FOX 9 on Wednesday that a 22-year-old from Iowa is a "person of interest" in the investigation, but stressed this is not a criminal investigation and he is not a suspect.
The man, a St. Cloud State University student, was vacationing in Punta Cana but was not part of Konanki's traveling group. The Loudon County Sheriff's Office says he "may have been the last one to have seen her, so is of particular interest."
According to St. Cloud State University, the man "is a currently enrolled student at St. Cloud State, and he has attended the university since 2023. He is a senior who is majoring in land surveying and mapping sciences. His hometown is Rock Rapids, Iowa, and he has never been a student-athlete at SCSU."
The Loudon County Sheriff's Office says "a number of people" have been interviewed by local police with the help of the FBI and that work is continuing. The sheriff's office will also have a presence on the ground on Wednesday.