A significant power outage at the Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, resort where a missing American college student had been vacationing for spring break could complicate the investigation into her disappearance.
Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student from Loudoun County, Virginia, was last seen walking on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the early hours of March 6. She has not been located.
The resort experienced a power loss starting at 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 4, with 70% of power restored by 3 a.m. By 2 a.m. on Thursday, March 6, power was fully restored, according to a statement from RIU Resorts & Hotels to Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
The hotel company further stated, “In response to reports linking the electrical outage at the Riu Republica hotel with the tragic disappearance of guest Sudiksha Chowdary Konanki, RIU Hotels & Resorts would like to firmly clarify that the two events are entirely unrelated.”
Sudiksha Konanki, a 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.
The hotel also stated that security cameras around the RIU Republica were fully operational and recorded clear footage throughout the day and night, as there was sufficient lighting.
Surveillance footage captured Konanki walking from a hotel bar to the beach with friends, including a young man with his arm around her shoulders, at around 4:17 a.m. on March 6. She was last seen on the beach outside the resort at approximately 4:50 a.m. By 6 a.m., her friends returned to the hotel, but Konanki was not with them.
Loudoun County authorities have identified a fellow tourist as a person of interest, as he was the last individual seen with Konanki. The American man, in his 20s, has not been charged with any crime.
Experts suggest that while the power outage is unlikely to hinder the collection of surveillance footage or cellphone data, it could complicate the investigation into Konanki’s mysterious disappearance.
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People enjoy time on the beach at the RIU Republica Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Sudiksha Konanki, 20, was last seen on March 6 on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic.
“It does have an impact on every aspect of the investigation if they’ve lost complete power,” Michael Verden, founder and CEO of The Lake Forest Group, a former Secret Service agent, and former director of security for the NBA, told Fox News Digital.
Without power, security cameras in certain areas of the hotel may have lost connection, even if others remained operational. In other words, full power could have provided a more complete picture of Konanki’s movements before she vanished, though it is unclear whether any cameras lost connection during the power outage.
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Local authorities search for missing U.S. student Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was last seen on March 6 on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic.
“It’s all crucial evidence,” Verden explained. “With the power outage, how much of that is affected? Do some cameras stay active while others don’t? If they lose power, it could impact the investigation.”
He also noted that the power outage could prevent guests from accessing their hotel rooms, which might hinder investigators from determining when Konanki and her friends last entered their rooms before her disappearance.
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U.S. college student Sudiksha Konanki went missing while on vacation with her friends in Punta Cana on March 6, 2025.
“The electronic system provides evidence, which could be crucial in showing access prior to her disappearance,” Verden said. He explained that hotel room keycard data could help corroborate guests’ statements about when they were with Konanki and when they returned to their rooms. This information would be vital in helping authorities build timelines of those present during her final movements.
Tom Slovenski, a digital forensic expert and founder of Cellular Forensics, told Fox News Digital that despite the power outage at the resort, investigators will still be able to access cellphone tower data to track Konanki’s location and movements before she vanished.
Sudiksha Konanki was last seen in the early morning hours of March 6. (Facebook)
“They’ve got some strong leads, especially with her not returning. She was arm in arm with the [person of interest], and then the man comes back without her. So, I’d be focusing on him. And where did he go? You can track him through cellphone tower data. If you know who he is, get a hold of his phone. You can easily use call detail records to figure out where he was and who he was talking to,” Slovenski explained.
He also noted that cellphone towers could still provide location and time data despite the resort’s power outage or even if the phone got wet from swimming, as many newer smartphones are waterproof. While the phone must be powered on for it to send data, the user does not need to be making calls or texts for the phone’s location to be tracked.
Local authorities search for missing U.S. student Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was last seen on March 6 on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic.
“Timing data continues to be recorded in the background as long as the cellphone is being used, even if it’s running in the background,” Slovenski explained.
“They can pull the call detail records for her specific phone. They can also request a tower dump from each of the providers on the island… and go through that data to identify any plausible leads. Additionally, they can obtain timing advance records, which is known as a timing advance dump,” Slovenski said.
Local authorities search for missing U.S. student Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was last seen on March 6 on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic.
He explained that timing advance refers to how phones receive “pings” from cellphone towers, which indicates “the amount of time it takes for the signal to travel from the tower to the phone and back to the tower.”
“They can, and we can, analyze the area where the phone was located. From that, you can track the phone’s movement,” he said.
POLICE CONFIRM MALE FRIEND IS UNDER INVESTIGATION IN CONNECTION WITH KONANKI’S DISAPPEARANCE
Military personnel search for Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student from the U.S. who disappeared on a beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on Monday, March 10.
“We urge caution against drawing unsubstantiated conclusions and remain committed to conducting a thorough investigation before any conclusions are made,” they stated in a news release. “The LCSO is hopeful for the safe return of Sudiksha Konanki and is dedicated to supporting both the investigation and her family in every possible way.”
