The parents of Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student who went missing nearly two weeks ago during a spring break trip to Punta Cana, has formally requested that Dominican police declare her dead, according to two sources familiar with the investigation.
Authorities believe Konanki drowned in the early hours of March 6, officials told ABC News. In their letter, her parents expressed trust in the authorities’ investigation, the sources said.
They also acknowledged that Joshua Riibe, a Minnesota college student who was with their daughter in the ocean the night she disappeared, is cooperating with the investigation. “They acknowledge there is no evidence of foul play,” the sources said.
ALSO READ Trump withdraws Secret Service protection from Biden’s children
The parents recognized that legal procedures must be followed for their request to be processed, but they assured authorities that “they are prepared to comply with any necessary formalities or documentation,” according to sources.
Authorities have confiscated Riibe’s passport, and his attorneys stated that “he’s being surveilled at his hotel.” Under Dominican law, individuals can challenge unlawful detention through a habeas corpus hearing. If detained, they must be brought before a judge within 48 hours or face charges or release.
However, Riibe’s lawyer and a source from the Dominican Republic Ministry of Justice clarified that “a ruling on the habeas corpus hearing request cannot prevent an order of arrest by Dominican authorities.”
Konanki’s disappearance is being treated as an accident, sources said. Officials reiterated that Riibe is not a suspect, emphasizing that “he is cooperating and being questioned as a witness.”
(ABC News)
ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
and then