Dark history behind beach where missing student Sudiksha Konank vanished weeks after 4 drowned

New details are emerging in. the case of the missing college student who vanished from a Dominican Republic beach during spring break earlier this month.

Sudiksha Konanki, 20, was last seen during the early morning hours of March 6 on a beach near the Punta Cana's Riu República Hotel. The five star coastal resort is known for it's dangerously high waves and strong ocean currents.

The massive search effort for Konanki has now entered it's seventh day, as a team of authorities from the U.S. and D.R. work to piece together the University of Pittsburg student's final moments. The 20-year-olds disappearance comes just weeks after four tourists died at the Punta Cana same resort as Konanki.

The tourists reportedly went for a swim in Playa Arena Gorda and were swept away by the strong ocean currents, according to the Dominican Republic's civil defense agency.

The victims were identified as Polish nationals Marcin Teodor Checinski, 47, and Sylwia Aleksandra, 52, Portuguese tourist Nelzon Nunes Ribeiro, 47, and Russian native Jakub Tomasz Pedziach.

Two others who were also part of the group managed to survive the ordeal, the Dominican Republic's civil defense agency said. At the time of the drownings red flag warnings were in effect for that portion of the beach, warning beachgoers of the dangerous ocean conditions.

A man has been named a person of interest in the disappearance of Konanki. Five days into the search for the 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student, who was last spotted entering a beach with a group of friends, Loudoun County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Thomas Julia said that 24-year-old Joshua Riibe is a "person of interest." 

She told Fox News on Tuesday that Riibe, who is believed to have been the last person to see Sudiksha, "has been interviewed at length" but stressed that it's "still a missing person case, not a criminal case." Riibe has not been accused of any crime in relation to Sudiksha's disappearance.

"Sheriff [Michael] Chapman wants to make sure the investigation is comprehensive and includes all possible assets and techniques," she said. "We are working closely with the FBI on all of this, and they are working with the Dominican National Police."

Sudiksha, an Indian citizen who was studying in the US as a permanent resident, traveled to Punta Cana with five classmates from the University of Pittsburgh for the college's spring break, which began on March 2 and ended Sunday. She was last seen on surveillance cameras entering the beach with a group of friends at the Riu República Hotel at 4.15am on Thursday, according to the Dominican National Police.

In the footage, Sudiksha could be seen walking alongside a man as the pair had their arms around each other's backs. At around 5.55am, surveillance cameras captured most of the group leaving the beach while Sudiksha remained behind with one man.

He was also spotted returning to the hotel at 9.55am without Sudiksha. Authorities in the Dominican Republic believe Sudiksha may have drowned and have not named any suspects in the case. When asked about the possibility of Sudiksha having drowned, however, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said that authorities "have heard this and have seen no evidence presented at this time."

On Tuesday, the Dominican National Police said it is "re-interviewing targeted individuals who were in the victim’s proximity at the time of her disappearance." They explained: "This includes hotel employees where Konanki and her companions were staying, with the goal of gathering information to corroborate her movements, interactions, and any relevant details for the investigation."

It comes as D'Lani Sweeney, a guest staying at the Riu República Hotel at the same time as Sudiksha, described the night that she disappeared as "chaotic" as she recalled power outages and claimed the hotel didn't tell other guests that Sudiksha was missing.