Clothes that are believed to belong to missing college student Sudiksha Konanki have been found on a beach chair near where she was last seen.
The 20-year-old college junior, who was staying with six female University of Pittsburgh students at the Riu República Hotel in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, was last seen walking on a beach on Thursday, March 6. Some of the clothes she wore during these moments were later found strewn on a nearby beach chair, according to Dominican news outlet CDN, which shared the photos.
Just before she disappeared, Konanki was caught on surveillance footage walking in a white swimsuit cover-up, which was later discovered on a white chaise lounge on the beach, per the images obtained by the outlet.
CDN also reported that the missing student’s sandals were discovered near the same lounge chair.
Sudiksha Konanki/Facebook
Sudiksha Konanki
Sources close to the investigation previously told ABC News and Dominican news outlet El Nacional that Konanki’s clothes were found on the beach and there were no signs of violence.
Dominican police also confirmed to PEOPLE that clothes had been found, though they did not share any more details at the time.
Konanki, a resident of Loudon County, Va. and a citizen of India, was last seen on video surveillance cameras with a group walking onto the beach around 4:15 a.m. local time on March 6, per the Dominican Republic National Police.
She was seen in the footage walking arm-in-arm with a man, later identified as 22-year-old college student Joshua Riibe, on her way to the beach.
Riibe was named a “person of interest,” but not a suspect. He and Konanki spent time on the beach “kissing” prior to her disappearance, Riibe told local authorities in an interview transcript obtained by NBC News.
Sudiksha Konanki
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The man — who may be the last person that saw Konanki — told local investigators that the pair were “in waist-deep water, talking and kissing a little,” when a wave crashed, sweeping them both “out to sea,” per the outlet.
“I kept trying to get her to breathe, but that didn’t allow me to breathe all the time, and I swallowed a lot of water,” he claimed.
Riibe, who is currently detained at the Riu República amid the missing person case, also told investigators he got himself and Konanki back to shore safely, and said, “The last time I saw her, I asked if she was okay,” but when he didn’t hear or see her, “thought she’d grabbed her things and left.”
After Konanki’s classmates reported her missing, Dominican National Police said an “exhaustive search was launched by sea, air and land” to find her. Dominican authorities say they believe that she drowned, per an earlier report from ABC News, though her body has not been recovered.
Konanki’s family previously told USA Today that they are “going through an incredibly difficult time” and “are deeply saddened” in her absence.
“We kindly request privacy as we cope with this challenging moment together,” the family’s statement concluded.
Read the original article on People
