The hometown sheriff of missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki says it’s “way too premature” to assume she drowned in the Dominican Republic — while raising concerns over the changing stories from the last person known to have seen her.
“There was some speculation that she may have drowned. I think it’s way too premature to make an assumption like that,” Sheriff Mike Chapman of Konanki’s hometown in Loudoun County, Virginia told NewsNation on Monday.
Chapman emphasized that there has been “no sighting” of Konanki “in any capacity” and that it was too soon to spread theories as authorities continue investigating her disappearance.
Konanki, a pre-med student at the University of Pittsburgh, was on spring break with five friends at the Riu Republic Resort in Punta Cana when she went missing early March 6.
She was last seen by a 24-year-old tourist from Iowa, Joshua Steven Ribe, who provided authorities with inconsistent statements about his time with Konanki leading up to her disappearance.
Konank, who was last seen wearing a brown bikini, partied with Ribe and her college friends at a disco around 3 a.m. before leaving for the beach an hour later. The group stayed there until 5:50 a.m., when they left Konanki and Ribe alone on the beach.
Ribe told authorities three different versions of what happened next, first claiming he threw up from the rough surf but went back to shore to ask Konanki if she was OK.
In the second version, he allegedly said he felt sick to his stomach and left the water, last seeing the missing woman in knee-deep water in the surf before passing out.
Finally, he also told authorities that he saw Konanki walking along the shore before he passed out on the shore.
While police have not said if they suspect foul play — and said Ribe is cooperating with the investigation — Chapman, the hometown sheriff, expressed some concerns about his varying accounts.
“We’re trying to get some consistency with the statements here… if you give inconsistent statements, that means you’re not telling the truth. What we gotta do is get the facts here,” Chapman said.
Authorities from multiple agencies continued their search for a fifth day Tuesday, a day after the missing student’s father, Subbarayudu Konanki, filed a complaint seeking to expand search efforts over his “growing suspicion” that she could be the victim of kidnapping since her body never washed ashore.
Konanki, an Indian national from Chantily, Virginia, was staying at the resort with five other female students from Pitt, according to the Loudoun County sheriff’s office.
Agencies from Loudon County along with the Indian Embassy in the Dominican Republic, have been assisting with the search. US federal agencies are also helping with the investigation.