(NewsNation) — Authorities in the Dominican Republic have confiscated the passport of the last person known to have seen University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki before she disappeared, according to NBC News.
Konanki, 20, was last seen on March 6 near the RIU Hotel & Resort in Punta Cana, where she had traveled for spring break with five friends. She was reportedly on the beach with a 22-year-old American man before vanishing.
The man, a college senior from a Minnesota school, has not been named as a suspect, but his lawyers confirmed that he has been required to stay at the hotel and is under constant police escort. “So no, he is not free to leave,” the law firm said in an email to NBC News.
NewsNation is not naming the individual because officials in the Dominican Republic stated that no one has been identified as a suspect, and they do not use the term “person of interest.”
In an interview with investigators, he said he and Konanki went into the ocean together, where they were caught by a wave and pulled out to sea. He claimed he managed to bring her back toward shore but later lost sight of her.
“The last time I saw her, I asked if she was OK. I didn’t hear her answer,” he told authorities, according to a transcript obtained by NBC News. He said he assumed she had left the beach but was shocked to learn later that she was missing.
A transcript of his police interview states that surveillance footage captured him and Konanki walking to the beach with her friends. Around 5:50 a.m., the group returned to the hotel, leaving the pair alone.
He told investigators they waded into waist-deep water, kissed and were then hit by a strong wave. He claimed he swallowed seawater while trying to keep her afloat but was able to bring her closer to shore.
Afterward, he said he vomited from ingesting salt water and lost track of her. “I passed out on the beach and woke up hours later,” he told authorities, per NBC News.
Konanki’s friends reported her missing around 4 p.m. later that day. Authorities subsequently found items believed to belong to her, including a white sarong and a pair of beige flip-flops, left near a set of beach chairs.
U.S. authorities are treating the case as a missing persons investigation.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia, where Konanki’s family lives, has sent detectives to the Dominican Republic to assist in the U.S. side of the investigation.
The Dominican Republic’s National Police have not commented on whether they believe foul play was involved. No charges have been filed in the case.
Konanki is a citizen of India and a permanent U.S. resident.
