After a local college student disappeared on March 6, students are taking extra precautions.
Sudiksha Konanki, 20, went missing in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic after visiting the area for spring break.
The 20-year-old pre-med student was from Chantilly but attended the University of Pittsburgh when she suddenly disappeared at the Arena Gorda beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Isha Katti, an eighth-grader on the Explorers team, said she will be more careful to avoid problems like this.
“It’s definitely disturbing,” she says, “and with the current situations happening, this is going to make me listen to my parents more.”
Mica Astropabio, an eighth-grader on the Voyagers team, feels unsafe and afraid to go outside due to cases like this.
“It makes me more scared to travel,” Mica says, “and there are a lot of dangerous things out there too.”
Sudiksha’s parents, Subbarayudu and Sreedevi Konanki have been in multiple interviews where they have been asked many questions regarding their daughter. Subbarayudu Konanki, Sudiksha’s dad, has also requested the Dominican Republic to legally declare their daughter dead, as they don’t want to suffer more about her.
The Timeline
According to USA Today, Sudiksha and her friends arrived at Hotel Riu Republica on March 3. Two days later, the power went out in the whole building and at 2 a.m. on March 6, the power was fully restored. That same day at 3 a.m., a surveillance camera shows Sudiksha having a drink in the hotel lobby with five female and two male tourists.
About an hour later, Sudiksha is seen along with her friends and the new tourists they had met, walking to the beach to have some fun. After most of the new tourists had left, police say, only one man stayed behind.
That man has been identified as Joshua Riibe, the person of interest and believed to be the last person to see Sudiksha alive.
Joshua Riibe, 22, is a college student from Saint Cloud University in St. Cloud, Minnesota. He is originally from Rock Rapids, Iowa. He met Sudiksha at the bar in Hotel Riu Republica along with the other tourists.
Based on NBC Washington, Sudiksha and Joshua went into the ocean and were swept away by the strong ocean waves. He saved her using his previous experience as a pool lifeguard. After getting on the shore, Joshua threw up the seawater he had swallowed while saving Sudiksha.
While in knee-deep water, he noticed her grab her things, and walk back into the ocean before Joshua passed out. The police and search teams say that Sudiksha must have drowned or been swept away at sea once again.
RCMS Reacts
Anne Park, an eighth-grader on the Wolves team, goes along with what the officials say, but has her own idea of what happened to Sudiksha as well.
“I think she drowned by the force of waves,” Anne says, “or got saved by a harmful group of people that might be planning to do something to her.”
Isha also has a different approach on how she disappeared as well.
“I feel like her drink was drugged or she got intoxicated,” Isha said.
Mrs. Christy Ryder, RCMS school counselor, hopes everyone takes the time to review and discuss personal safety after learning about Sudiksha’s case.
“The buddy system is an important component of personal safety,” says Mrs. Ryder. “Students should talk to their families or a trusted adult if they have questions about this case or about personal safety.”
