As the search for missing spring break college student Sudiksha Konanki enters its eighth day, a retired FBI agent said that with each day passing there is a loss of “forensic capabilities.”
“There will be evidence on the body to be able to determine the cause of death,” retired FBI agent Scott Duffey told Fox News Digital. “With every day passing, if she was not taken by kidnapping, and she is in fact out in the water, then with each day passing, there is a loss of some forensic capabilities.”
Duffey said the international investigation with multiple governments involved – both America and India – was complicated by Dominican Republic authorities suggesting that Konanki drowned after going into the water after a night out with friends.
“You bring upon two major governments that are saying, ‘Before we commit to the drowning theory, let’s do a little bit more investigation,'” he said. “Now, without a body, the Dominican authorities should never, ever make a comment like that. It does a disservice first and foremost to the family, but, of course, to the reputation of the police department.”
AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT SUDIKSHA KONANKI’S DISAPPEARANCE IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: TIMELINE
Sudiksha Konanki in a Facebook selfie photo. The 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh junior has been missing since March 6, when she vanished during a spring break trip to a five-star resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Sudiksha Konanki/Facebook)
On Thursday, Dominican Republic authorities changed their tune and said in a release that the search for the missing University of Pittsburgh student now extends “beyond an accidental event” and “examines all variables.”
Duffey said that authorities in the Dominican Republic saying that it appeared that the 20-year-old drowned were “initial missteps.”
“I do believe there are missteps when you call something so quickly before,” he said. “Was the crime scene investigation done? Was [Konanki’s] clothing found?”
WATCH:
Konanki was last seen on hotel surveillance video on March 6 after 4 a.m. She was last seen walking with a young man who had his arms wrapped around her shoulders.
The young man previously seen with Konanki is seen on surveillance footage entering the interior of the hotel around 9 a.m. on March 6.
MISSING AMERICAN IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: NO SUSPECTS AS SEARCH FOR SUDIKSHA KONANKI REACHES ONE WEEK
La Policia Nacional, the country’s national police force, later said the young man is under investigation.
He reportedly said he was in the water at the same beach, and authorities were questioning him in an attempt to corroborate his version of events, according to a translation of a Spanish-language statement from police.
Sudiksha Konanki, 20, was last seen on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic on March 6, 2025. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)
Local outlet Noticias SIN similarly reported that a man, who was a guest at the same resort, was the last person seen with Konanki and reportedly told police several different versions of what happened.
The man reportedly said he entered the water with Konanki but that the rough surf made him sick, so he went back to shore and left Konanki in the water.
In another version of the story, he said he felt sick and left Konanki in knee-deep water before he passed out on the beach. The man additionally claimed he saw Konanki walking on the beach before he fell asleep on the beach, according to the local report.
Authorities said that they found her sandals and a sarong-style beach gown on a chair by the beach.
Local authorities search for missing U.S. college student Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on March 11, 2025. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)
Duffey said that the evidence and the witness testimony “tell us a story.”
“The big question is what was the intoxication level, if any, for both of them?” he said. “I don’t want to cast a shadow upon this individual simply because he’s intoxicated and thereby his memory is warped.”
“He’s remembering things differently, and then it’s natural that the story is going to change,” Duffey said. “And the evidence, whether that be vomit found on the beach, can help corroborate the individual’s testimony.”
U.S. college student Sudiksha Konanki went missing while on vacation with her friends in Punta Cana on March 6, 2025. (Fox News Graphics)
The retired FBI agent said authorities “can get a good sense” if their interview subject is being deceptive or just not recalling the details.
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“And as long as he’s continuing to be cooperative, because he has nothing to hide, then that will lend to additional information coming out,” he said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the FBI for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
