DR, Sudiksha Konanki, 20, Punta Cana, 6 March 2025

[Deleted member 246707]

• We know that everything was basically OK at almost 6am - friends left at 5:55am.
• We can see pictures of what the surrounding area looks like.
• Even if he was pure evil, I don't see any way he could've done something to her and hidden the body. What do such-minded people think he did - run down the beach in the light of dawn carrying her body off somewhere that nobody has been able to find?
• Her body hasn't been found, but what if sea life got it? If I recall they never found the body of the kid that jumped off the party boat in the Bahamas and that was a relatively enclosed area.
• We can imagine stories about him doing something to her in the water, but they are just our imagination. We have zero evidence. Show us video of him cleaning himself off with a hose at 7:30AM somewhere, when he was supposed to be crashed out on the beach and I'll listen... but nitpicking tiny details in statements or news reports, then trying to extrapolate something suspicious in what you think he should've said or should've done, isn't that.
• Unless something dramatic appears, I can't see this as anything other than a bad thing that happened when you mix 2 college kids who had been drinking all night, were probably exhausted, and still playing in dangerous surf.

 

[Hanoi2009]

I wonder if they've searched every INCH of the coastline, rocky outcrops, caves?, vegetation along the coast....even for partial remains.
There are after all tiger sharks in the area around the reefs.

I've seen pictures of groups headed out in boats to search for her, but I haven't seen or read about any divers. I wonder if there have been any search divers on the reefs or in the areas where the undercurrent flows...JMO

 

[Marie A]

I think just as much as he could be being held there without sufficient evidence, I think it's more likely, for the reasons below, that they do have evidence that they haven't released to the public that makes him able to be held there. Especially if the US government has been involved - if they think there's no evidence to detain him wouldn't they (e.g. the Loudon County Sheriff) be saying so publicly? Rather than calling him a "person of interest"?

There's so much we haven't been told that LE likely has already investigated (as someone posted before) - his phone records, interviews with hotel staff, interviews with her friends, possibly other things we don't know about.

First of all, we have seen transcripts of police interviews with Josh and seen repeated videos from the hotel including very unflattering vomiting videos. We have seen and heard more than most bona fide investigations ever provide to the general public. Nothing seems to be off limits.
I’m skeptical that there is anything that hasn’t been laid out there.
We have seen attempts by either the investigators or the press to defame Josh.
They have said his story has changed three times which isn’t really true.
I think this is more likely a power play to place blame on a young American for a non-existent crime.
I think they have spent a week and a half now looking for ways to defame Josh further but they are coming up quite empty handed. The Dominicans are doing damage control for their tourism industry at the expense of a reportedly honorable and honest young gentleman.

The truth is that this is an extremely unpredictable and dangerous beach where others have been known to drown. Likely many others. We know about the four in January of this year but we haven’t been privy to the ones here and there that don’t make it into the news stories.
This all inclusive spring break 24 hour drinking culture is also dangerous.
Honestly disgusting that guests vomit close to the bar and aren’t cut off but continue to be served. It’s upsetting that the bartenders don’t cut them off the way a reputable establishment would.
The whole scenario was a recipe for disaster but not a crime.

I think that Josh will be given his passport tomorrow because I don’t think they have any evidence whatsoever to continue to hold him. I think he will fly out at his first opportunity- will likely take any flight he can get on back to the US. I don’t think he will ever set foot on that island again. I’m betting Josh will be out of the DR before midnight tomorrow.

All IMHO

 

[Dee10]

I've seen pictures of groups headed out in boats to search for her, but I haven't seen or read about any divers. I wonder if there have been any search divers on the reefs or in the areas where the undercurrent flows...JMO

I agree it hasn't been widely reported IMO, but I found this:

Pitt student Sudiksha Konanki’s disappearance in the DR being probed as possible foul play

Local media previously reported that authorities quickly came to believe that Konanki, 20, drowned after going in the water after a night out with friends.

nypost.com

Agustin Morillo Rodriguez, vice admiral of the Dominican navy, told Noticias SIN on Wednesday that it’s possible Konanki’s body is trapped in coral reefs if she did drown — and that’s why she hasn’t been found.

“The body may be stranded on the reefs, on the coral reefs, which is why the navy has deployed a team of navy and local divers to comb the entire area where there are reefs or corals,” he told the outlet. “So far, unfortunately, we have not been able to find the young woman.”

 

[Charlot123]

I am still thinking that he was in partial blackout and not quite remembering. Perhaps it is a sign for JR to stop drinking forever. Think of this - the way he walks, he won't pass the field sobriety test.

Interrupted Memories: Alcohol-Induced Blackouts | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Drinking to the point of a blackout has gained pop culture notoriety in recent years. Alcohol-induced blackouts can lead to impaired memory of events that transpired while intoxicated, and a drastically increased risk of injuries and other harms. They can occur in anyone who drinks alcohol, no...

www.niaaa.nih.gov

 

[Donswife48]

^snipped

Thinking on this. Maybe after he was vomiting seawater and feeling sick from the scary ocean incident and then he turned and didn’t see Sudiksha anymore after getting her footing back close to shore, he thought maybe she stormed off angry or upset, blaming him for the near drowning or that the event ‘woke her up’ to say to herself, “What am I doing?! I don’t even know this guy!”

All he knew was that she left him (in his thinking), at the time. He only met her that night, so they didn’t really know each other. And what they did know about each other was while they were under the influence of alcohol.

So, perhaps he was expecting to feel her out the next day, to see if she was still interested in him in the light of day.

Even her own friends seemed not that concerned at first, I think? Wasn’t it only after some excursion that they started worrying about her? I wonder if she was scheduled to go with them on that excursion?

JMO

I too question why her own friends seemed not that concerned at first. If they were sharing a room, wouldn't they have become concerned that she never returned and tried to locate her earlier in the day. JMO

 

[Chimera]

I agree here. Especially when his version in a nutshell is “WE were kissing, WE were accosted by a wave, I saved us, SHE left ME while I was vomiting from MY valiant efforts”. Kind of like a side jab at her. IMO
Something happened on that beach and I do think it happened on the water but I don’t think he happened as he describes.
He was on vacation looking to cheat on his girlfriend. He had an impaired, isolated young lady that he wanted to cheat with. I think something didn’t go his way, or he got incredibly selfish and rough during their encounter. Intentionally or not, I believe he caused her death.
As a former lifeguard some of his statements about his rescue don’t make sense. A rescue swim does not match his description.
Also his sobriety levels in his story seem to change as it suits him.
The least sinister conclusion I can think of is a wave hit them and she grabbed him and bear hugged him. Unable to properly rescue swim this way he pushed her off and left her to drown. His immense guilt ( and ego) caused him to create this heroic story. The only issue I have with this is I don’t think she willingly would have gone out far enough out in the water that it was even dangerous to him a big, strong lifeguard with her being a 5’3”.
His walk back to the hotel at 9:55 am does not look like someone that saves someone earlier. There is guilt and exhaustion on his face. IMO

All to conclude; Where is she? I hope I am wrong about his involvement, but if her body were found it may answer some questions. Why hasn’t her body washed up if his story is truthful.
JMO

If her 'vanishing' (don't want to say drowning as I do not know for sure) happened at the early hours of the morning, was he seen at all on camera before then anywhere else ?
Is there a way to leave the beach and not be on camera ?

Also if the power went out, he could have left, correct ?(Asking hypothetically)

Close to 10 am -- seems like a long time to stay on the beach after saving oneself and/or one's partner from a riptide.
Mightn't one want to go to ones' room and maybe shower and rest in a hotel bed; as opposed to baking some more in the hot sun ?

Another question ; Sorry this thread is moving quickly and now I can't find the post (darn it), but didn't someone who was there or who knows someone who was at that beach the night in question -- say that there wasn't a riptide, and other people said it was calm ?
Assuming JR and Sudiksha weren't the only ones at the beach the entire night, did anyone else say the ocean was rough ?
Tia for anyone who remembers this.
Imo.

 

[whitelilac]

I agree it hasn't been widely reported IMO, but I found this:

Pitt student Sudiksha Konanki’s disappearance in the DR being probed as possible foul play

Local media previously reported that authorities quickly came to believe that Konanki, 20, drowned after going in the water after a night out with friends.

nypost.com

Agustin Morillo Rodriguez, vice admiral of the Dominican navy, told Noticias SIN on Wednesday that it’s possible Konanki’s body is trapped in coral reefs if she did drown — and that’s why she hasn’t been found.

“The body may be stranded on the reefs, on the coral reefs, which is why the navy has deployed a team of navy and local divers to comb the entire area where there are reefs or corals,” he told the outlet. “So far, unfortunately, we have not been able to find the young woman.”

Thanks, I was sure I had read about divers being involved, but looking for it I couldn't find it again.

 

[acutename]

FYI

Wildlife Fact Sheets: Tiger Shark​

Ocean Conservancy
https://oceanconservancy.org › wildlife-factsheet › tiger...




Tiger sharks really do eat almost anything. They have been found with license plates, tires and even other sharks in their stomachs. Status and Conservation.

 

[Charlot123]

I'd imagine once they're certain he (JR) knows nothing more he'll be on his way.
They must not be 100 % certain ?
Imo.

Not sure. They want to pull attention off themselves. There are too many questions, no electricity for sure pushes people to drink. All questions that we ask in these situations, the quality of alcohol, any food in the bar, all possible violations - can be wrinkled out as they detain him.

 

[ellel]

I don't know what he did to try and track her down the next day, though. That is the part that makes a difference to me.

Neither did her friends.

These were kids who got drunk and made stupid choices.

 

[Himako14]

There are also bull sharks in those waters along with oceanic whitetip sharks. Both have been known to attack humans.

 

[bestill]

Curious, who is paying for his stay the last 2 weeks? That has to be quite a bit of $$

 

[imstilla.grandma]

 

[slowpoke]

I believe I read one of his friends retrieved his stuff.
Though I'm not certain.

Yes, that’s what I recall, that his friend(s) found his things, but that his shoes and room key card were presumably stolen (as I guess they weren’t with his other things).

I wonder if the friend is the one who found and took the picture of Sudiksha’s cover-up and flip-flop, then? You’d think, as @Bahshudc pondered, her things would’ve been next to his things. Just thoughts, moo

Here’s a screenshot of his answer about his things, but it’s in Spanish:
From this video NoticiasSIN

Translation: They found my things, because I never picked them up, but someone had stolen my shoes and my room key card.

 

[tarabull]

[…]

Riibe said Konanki was walking "knee-deep" in the water when he last saw her.

"I asked if she was okay. I didn’t hear her response because I started vomiting all the seawater I had swallowed," Riibe said. "After vomiting, I looked around and didn’t see anyone. I thought she had grabbed her things and left. I felt really bad and exhausted. I lay down on a beach chair, fell asleep because I couldn’t go very far, and later woke up because of the sun and mosquito bites. I went to my friend’s room to get my phone, then went to my own room to sleep."

Riibe also told police he "expected to see her the next day" and thought he would "run into her around the area."

Riibe said he was sleeping in his room when his friend asked him if he had seen Konanki, to which Riibe replied no.

"I thought she had gone to her room," he allegedly told police. "Her friends texted my friend since he had one of their numbers."

The Iowa man said his friends went to the beach the next day and found his "belongings" because he "never picked them up," other than a pair of shoes and a room key that he said "someone had stolen."

[…]

Key witness in American college student's disappearance tells police how they met, what happened on beach

Key witness in missing American college student Sudiksha Konanki's disappearance in the Dominican Republic says they were hit by a big wave before she vanished.

www.yahoo.com

:BUMPING:

Actual details posted earlier....
good for review FWIW

eta snipped...

...Riibe said he was sleeping in his room when his friend asked him if he had seen Konanki, to which Riibe replied no.

"I thought she had gone to her room," he allegedly told police. "Her friends texted my friend since he had one of their numbers."

The Iowa man said his friends went to the beach the next day and found his "belongings" because he "never picked them up," other than a pair of shoes and a room key that he said "someone had stolen."

 

[Seni]

I follow Noticias Sic which is the national news channel. Prosecutor and police did a reconstruction last night until about 2.30 or 3 a.m..

An appeal for Habeus Corpus has been made by R 's lawyers and will be deliberated tomorrow Tuesday by 2pm.

I'm understanding that the big sticking point is R's absence from any camera sighting between about 5 a.m something and 8 something when he was spotted by cameras again.

Will translate fully tomorrow, but inmeantime the article says all of the group went to the beach, 3 girls and a man (named) went back to hotel 40 minutes later. Apart from S and R.

 

[Judy Sleuth]

If her 'vanishing' (don't want to say drowning as I do not know for sure) happened at the early hours of the morning, was he seen at all on camera before then anywhere else ?
Is there a way to leave the beach and not be on camera ?

Also if the power went out, he could have left, correct ?(Asking hypothetically)

Close to 10 am -- seems like a long time to stay on the beach after saving oneself and/or one's partner from a riptide.
Mightn't one want to go to ones' room and maybe shower and rest in a hotel bed; as opposed to baking some more in the hot sun ?

Another question ; Sorry this thread is moving quickly and now I can't find the post (darn it), but didn't someone who was there or who knows someone who was at that beach the night in question -- say that there wasn't a riptide, and other people said it was calm ?
Assuming JR and Sudiksha weren't the only ones at the beach the entire night, did anyone else say the ocean was rough ?
Tia for anyone who remembers this.
Imo.

The resort had put red flags out at the beach, indicating unsafe water conditions. And one Web Sleuth has posted that online records show the waves that night/wee hours of the morning were 5-6 feet. I'm not sure who or which post number, but fairly early in this thread.

It was not calm.

One expert who was looped into some article claimed that it was calm, but that person wasn't on the scene. I can't understand how they came to that conclusion when there are solid reports of the red flags and even - I believe - of some tourists confirming that they saw them.

 

[Emi]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1901830769242488968

 

[whitelilac]

I follow Noticias Sic which is the national news channel. Prosecutor and police did a reconstruction last night until about 2.30 or 3 a.m..

An appeal for Habeus Corpus has been made by R 's lawyers and will be deliberated tomorrow Tuesday by 2pm.

I'm understanding that the big sticking point is R's absence from any camera sighting between about 5 a.m something and 8 something when he was spotted by cameras again.

Will translate fully tomorrow, but inmeantime the article says all of the group went to the beach, 3 girls and a man (named) went back to hotel 40 minutes later. Apart from S and R.

bbm
But wasn't he supposedly passed out on the beach, or lounge chair, during that time?
I assumed there were no cameras pointing to that spot anyway.