Tourism Minister David Collado issued a statement on 12 March 2025 via X expressing his support to the family and friends and stressing the interest of the Dominican Republic in resolving the case of the 20-year old tourist who has been missing since the early morning of 6 March 2025. Sudiksha Konanki had traveled to the Dominican Republic for a spring break vacation that began on 3 March.
“I deeply regret the disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki and the pain her family is enduring. As a father, it moves me profoundly. As the Minister of Tourism, I am concerned and have been personally following the case from the outset, in coordination with the authorities,” he wrote on his account on X.
Likewise, the National Association of Hotels and Tourism (Asonahores) issued a statement on 12 March:
“From the Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic (Asonahores), we express our solidarity with the Konanki family during this difficult time. We have full confidence in the work of the authorities and acknowledge the joint efforts of the Public Ministry, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to shed light on the disappearance of student Sudiksha Chowdary.
“We appreciate the deployment of units from the National Police, Central Directorate of Investigations (DICRIM), Tourist Police (POLITUR), Dominican Navy, Dominican Air Force, Civil Defense, and Fire Department in the search and investigation operations. We once again emphasize our hope for a swift resolution and make ourselves available to the authorities to collaborate in any way necessary.”
On the same day, the Attorney General Office also issued a formal statement:
“The Public Ministry valued on Wednesday the cooperation provided to the country by the United States, through the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Homeland Security Investigations Office (HSI), in the extensive investigation being conducted as part of a high-level joint task force investigating the disappearance of student Konanki Sudiksha Chowdary.
“The prosecution, which is carrying out multiple investigative procedures that go beyond a possible accidental event, is keeping the course of the process confidential in accordance with Dominican procedural regulations for this stage.
“We are utilizing all our resources to thoroughly investigate the disappearance of Konanki Sudiskha Chowdary, and we understand the anguish this case causes her family, Dominicans, and Americans,” said Attorney General of the Republic Yeni Berenice Reynoso.
“As with any disappearance occurring under the circumstances of this case, we are implementing a holistic investigation protocol that examines all variables,” she added.
“The young woman’s family, like Dominican society and American society, can be absolutely certain that we will continue to delve deeper until we have the answer that authorities have the duty to provide,” she stated.
“The absence of the 20-year-old American woman, who was staying at a hotel in the eastern part of the country, was reported to authorities last Friday. She had arrived on the 3rd of this month with some friends. Since being alerted to her absence, Dominican authorities launched a search operation involving various rescue bodies.
“National Police units, the Central Investigation Department (Dicrim), Tourist Police (Politur), Navy, and Air Force are working together on the case. Civil Defense and the Fire Department are also conducting search operations in the Uvero Alto-Macao, Macao-Playa Arena Gorda, and Cortecito-Playa Arena Gorda areas.”
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Attorney General Office
13 March 2025