Missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki made two Venmo payments the afternoon before she disappeared from a Dominican Republic beach, as the search for her enters its second week.
The 20-year-old Virginia native made the transactions 40 minutes apart on the afternoon of March 5, according to the US Sun.
Konanki’s first payment was made to an unspecified user at 2:54 p.m. with only an emoji of a sailboat added to the transaction’s description.
Sudiksha Konanki made two Venmo payments hours before she disappeared in the Dominican Republic on March 6, 2025. via REUTERS
At 3:38 p.m., Konanki then paid a second Venmo user for “coco bongo,” seemingly referencing the popular Punta Cana nightclub — billed as the “hottest nightlife spot in the Dominican Republic.”
She was last seen walking on the beach with Iowa tourist Joshua Riibe, 24, at the RIU Hotel & Resort in Punta Cana at 5:50 a.m. on March 6.
The Pennsylvania college junior stayed at the resort since arriving on the Caribbean Island for spring break on March 3. Riibe was staying at the same resort.
Riibe and Konanki were captured on video surveillance earlier in the night, cuddling each other as they walked with a group of six others the night she disappeared.
The two were seen walking arm-in-arm and taking selfies as Konanki staggered along at 4:15 a.m.
A majority of the friend group had returned to the hotel by 5:50 a.m., but Riibe didn’t return until just before 9 a.m.
Konanki walks with Joshua Riibe and a group of friends while on spring break. Noticias Sin
The 20-year-old Virginia native made the transactions 40 minutes apart on the afternoon of March 5, according to the US Sun. Venmo/Sudiksha Konanki
A missing person report was filed by Konanki’s friends at around 4 p.m. on March 6.
Her father subsequently filed his own report with his hometown Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office nearly two hours later.
Officials revealed the resort lost power at 1:27 a.m., and could’ve been a reason Konanki was on the beach in the middle of the night.
The blackout, which wasn’t fully restored until the early morning, disabled the security systems and cameras at the resort.
Because the beach area is usually off limits at night, it meant it was unsupervised — and the outage also disrupted lighting, security systems and surveillance cameras, Dominican Today reported.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office identified Riibe, a St. Cloud State University senior, as a person of interest in the case — while cautioning that he is not a suspect,
He is believed to be the last person to see Konanki before she vanished, but officials cautioned he is not a suspect.
The 22-year-old Iowa native is said to be cooperating with local and US officials, saying the two had gone into the water before he began feeling sick and passed out on the sand.
The Pennsylvania college junior stayed at the resort since arriving on the Caribbean Island for spring break on March 3. Riibe was staying at the same resort. TikTok / @sudikshakonanki
Riibe is under 24-hour surveillance while he remains on the island as of Friday, but is free to head back to the US.
He wouldn’t share any information on his discussions with police when confronted by reporters outside the five-star hotel.
“I’m sorry, I can’t say anything, not right now,” he told the Daily Mail.
It was initially believed Konanki had gone into the water and drowned, following local news reports, but prosecutors announced Wednesday they have not ruled out “foul play” but have not filed criminal charges.
Officials revealed the resort lost power at 1:27 a.m., and could’ve been a reason Konanki was on the beach in the middle of the night.
A member of the civil defense canine unit conducts a search around the Dominican Republic for the missing student. AP
Officials had been treating Konanki’s disappearance as only a missing person’s case up until Wednesday’s announcement.
Friends and family of Riibe urged that he was not responsible for Konanki’s disappearance, claiming he “wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
