WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — The new surveillance video showing missing 20-year-old Loudoun County woman Sudiksha Konanki in the Dominican Republic is drawing reaction from investigative experts.
The footage shows Konanki walking with a group of friends, including a man believed to be designated a person of interest by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO). LCSO emphasizes it is still a missing person case and not a criminal investigation.
Several agencies are involved in the search, including Dominican officials as well as FBI, LCSO, and other United States federal agencies.
“What I find interesting [in the footage], is what was somewhat expected — the inability for her to balance,” said Jennifer Coffindaffer, a retired FBI special agent. “She was really, seemingly having issues walking.”
Coffindaffer told DC News Now it is standard to name a person of interest in a missing persons case.
“Oftentimes in missing persons cases where they are unsure whether criminal activity is afoot, they do name persons of interest, but they didn’t go to the degree of saying a suspect,” she said.
The 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student has been missing for nearly a week.
Coffindaffer said there are questions the person of interest should be asked, including some that would be necessary to know if the two were on the beach.
“I would want to know exactly what happened on that beach,” she said. “If they did indeed swim… probably the biggest thing I would ask is why in the world if you knew that she was struggling, swimming and a wave took her away, or words to this effect that you’ve stated, why didn’t you call for help then?”
Dominican Republic officials released a statement on Wednesday. Translated, the statement said that the prosecution “is conducting multiple investigative procedures that extend beyond a possible accidental event.”
Attorney General Yeni Berenice Reynoso said, again translated, “as with any disappearance that occurs under the circumstances of the case at hand, we are applying a holistic investigation protocol that examines all variables.”
