Dominican Republic officials assume missing Virginia woman was swept into the ocean

WASHINGTON - Authorities in the Dominican Republic are continuing their search for Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old woman from Chantilly, Virginia and a student at the University of Pittsburgh, who was reported missing on Thursday, March 6 during a spring break trip.

The Civil Defense in the Dominican Republic told FOX 5 Monday afternoon that they're working under the assumption Konanki was with friends on the beach, got near the water and then got swept into the ocean.

READ MORE: Virginia woman Sudiksha Konanki missing in Dominican Republic

Search for missing student continues in Dominican Republic

What we know:

The search for Konanki has not yielded any significant leads at the moment However, FOX News has reported that she may have drowned in a big wave while swimming. FOX also reported that investigators were questioning a man who went into the waters of the beach around the time she disappeared.

According to a missing person flyer shared by Miyares on social media, Konanki was last seen on March 6 on the beach at Riu Republica Resort in Punta Cana around 4:50 a.m. The flyer describes her as five-feet-three-inches-tall with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a brown two-piece bikini, big round earrings, a metal designer anklet of her right leg, yellow and steel bracelets on her right hand and a muti-colored beaded bracelet on her left hand.

What they're saying:

During an interview with Fox & Friends on Monday, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said the search for Konanki has not waned. "We are still in information gathering stage," Miyares told the news outlet when asked about the circumstances surrounding her disappearance. 

"Her friends have all been accounted for, that is the good news," he continued. "Obviously, our heart breaks for the family. We want to find her, we want to hopefully find her safe and sound. Right now, there is just so much that we don’t know." 

Shekar Pendem, a family friend of Konanki, is unsatisfied with the search efforts thus far. 

"It’s already three, four days. I mean, how long are we going to do the same thing. I know it can continue, but it should be more," said Pendem to FOX 5. "I think there is some hope beyond that, definitely. Right now, we’ve already spent four days." 

Authorities urge anyone with information to come forward

What's next:

Anyone with information is asked to contact authorities in the Dominican Republic at 829-618-7635, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office at 703-777-1021, or family at 732-299-5011 or 829-452-6262.

Miyares continued to say that authorities in the Dominican Republic were trying to secure any and all security camera footage that may show what happened to Konanki.

"It is a reminder for all of us that it is easy when we are on vacation … to always be mindful both of when, where and who you are with and also make sure that you are traveling with groups," Miyares told FOX News while discussing the issue of safety. "Because, unfortunately, you do have criminal elements in almost every country, that their number one target is always foreign tourists. They know this is a place they are not familiar with."