Loudoun County Authorities Identify Person of Interest in Missing Student Case

Loudoun County authorities have named a 24-year-old man as a person of interest in the disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki, a college student missing since March 6 in the Dominican Republic. Security footage showed her last seen with friends before she went missing. The investigation is being approached as an accident, likely involving drowning, with no criminal charges filed against the individual named as a person of interest.

Authorities in Loudoun County, Virginia, have identified a 24-year-old man as a person of interest in the case of the missing college student, Sudiksha Konanki. The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the development to 7News, emphasizing that this situation does not currently constitute a criminal case, which involves a different level of investigation.

The identification of this person of interest follows the release of security footage by Noticias SIN, a Dominican Republic news outlet. The video captured Konanki and her friends walking towards the beach early on March 6 at their hotel in Punta Cana, but it subsequently showed only four friends returning an hour later, while Konanki and the man who is a person of interest were absent.

According to reports from ABC News, the individual informed the police that he and Konanki had been swimming when they were caught in a wave and subsequently, he fell asleep on the beach. It is important to note that he has not been charged with any crime, and authorities in the Dominican Republic have specified that he is not deemed a suspect at this time.

Konanki disappeared on March 6 while on a spring break trip in the Dominican Republic with friends from the University of Pittsburgh, where she was studying medicine. Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman indicated that, at the time of her disappearance, she was accompanied by a friend and other individuals who were not part of their travel group, indicating they had met these individuals locally.

Sheriff Chapman has maintained communication with U.S. federal authorities present in the Dominican Republic, including the FBI, who are collaborating with local law enforcement. Currently, officials are treating the investigation as an accidental drowning, presuming that Konanki may have drowned.

In conclusion, the investigation into the disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki focuses on a 24-year-old man identified as a person of interest, while authorities clarify that this does not implicate him in any crime. Security footage has captured key moments leading up to her disappearance, and the case is being treated as an accident, with preliminary beliefs pointing toward drowning. Coordination with federal authorities continues as the investigation unfolds.

Original Source: foxsanantonio.com