Legal fight over American college student’s resort disappearance could come down to who was ‘reckless’: lawyer

Prior to the disappearance of an American assemblage pupil successful the Dominican Republic, she and the past radical she was seen with connected March 6 had been drinking earlier deciding to aquatics successful unsmooth surf, prompting questions astir liability that the edifice wherever they were staying could perchance face.

In the aboriginal greeting hours of March 6, Sudiksha Konanki and her friends walked from a edifice barroom to the formation extracurricular the RIU Republica successful Punta Cana, wherever she was staying with 5 pistillate friends from the University of Pittsburgh.

The 20-year-old seemingly went for a aquatics with a 22-year-old antheral named Joshua Riibe, of Iowa, who has been identified arsenic a witnesser successful her disappearance. Riibe seemingly told Dominican Republic authorities that they went swimming and were struck by a ample wave, which is the past clip helium saw her.

"I was implicit astatine the Natalee Holloway probe mode backmost when. And though determination are immoderate similarities here, determination are immoderate differences," Chris Swecker, erstwhile FBI Criminal Investigative Division adjunct director, told Fox News Digital. "But successful this case, I deliberation it's plausible, based connected everything that I've read, that it is simply a drowning.… I don't deliberation it's an outlandish presumption here, based connected the facts, that they were some beauteous drunk."

KEY WITNESS IN AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT'S DISAPPEARANCE TELLS POLICE HOW THEY MET, WHAT HAPPENED ON BEACH

Sudiksha Konanki, 20, has been missing from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, since March 6. (Handout/ Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

Riibe told constabulary helium had been drinking vodka with 7Up and tequila shots, adding that the radical of women helium had been with purchased "pink tequila shots" that they drank arsenic a group.

On the beach, helium and Konanki went successful the h2o portion 2 of her pistillate friends stayed ashore. Riibe and Konanki were talking erstwhile a "big wave" deed them, Riibe said. There was a red-flag informing connected the formation astatine the time, indicating a informing for radical not to spell swimming successful unsmooth surf.

AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT DISAPPEARS IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: TIMELINE

In January, 4 tourists drowned adjacent Punta Cana, erstwhile a reddish emblem warned of beardown currents and unsmooth seas, according to The Associated Press.

Local authorities hunt for missing U.S. pupil Sudiksha Konanki successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

"When it comes to the ocean… if you don't retrieve a assemblage beauteous quick, past the oversea beingness is going to instrumentality attraction of it," Swecker said. "And we haven't seen a assemblage lavation up by now."

Swecker, who is besides a lawyer, added that helium could "definitely spot a liability contented for the resort" successful transportation with Konanki's disappearance.

MISSING AMERICAN IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: NO SUSPECTS AS SEARCH FOR SUDIKSHA KONANKI REACHES ONE WEEK

"Depending connected manufacture standards for a edifice similar that, wherever determination are capable cameras, whether… radical were extracurricular the edifice due to the fact that of a powerfulness outage. Should determination person been information connected the beach?" helium asked.

Sudiksha Konanki successful a Facebook selfie photo. The 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh inferior has been missing since March 6. (Sudiksha Konanki/Facebook)

Just 2 hours anterior to Konanki's disappearance, RIU Republica had resolved a astir 25-hour-long energy outage that impacted astir 30% of the resort, leaving immoderate radical without light, water, Wi-Fi, oregon energy successful their rooms to complaint phones oregon different electronics. 

"In effect to publications linking the electrical nonaccomplishment experienced astatine the Riu Republica edifice with the tragic disappearance of impermanent Sudiksha Chowdary Konanki, RIU Hotels & Resorts wishes to firmly clarify that some events are wholly unrelated," RIU Resorts & Hotels antecedently told Fox News Digital successful a statement.

The edifice genitor institution added that the RIU Republica's staff's efforts "were exemplary successful presumption of dedication, commitment, and professionalism successful resolving a terrible method nonaccomplishment wrong hours and mitigating the effects it had connected services passim that time."

Investigators person expanded the hunt country arsenic American assemblage pupil Sudiksha Konanki remains missing. (Fox News Graphics )

Luis Vilchez, a lawyer successful the Dominican Republic, does not deliberation the edifice volition beryllium held liable unless the guests beryllium that "the edifice oregon its employees acted recklessly."

"If the impermanent acted recklessly, the edifice would, successful principle, not beryllium held liable."

"Similarly, regarding formation swimming conditions, it would person to beryllium demonstrated that the edifice failed to supply capable signage to pass guests astir the due usage of the beach," Vilchez told Fox News Digital.

"If the impermanent acted recklessly, the edifice would, successful principle, not beryllium held liable – for example, if the impermanent swam extracurricular designated hours erstwhile nary lifeguard was connected work and contempt disposable information signs, specified arsenic reddish flags indicating atrocious weather."

Military unit hunt for Sudiksha Konanki successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, connected March 10. (AP/Francesco Spotorno)

He continued: "In this peculiar case, I bash not spot grounds for a assertion against the edifice erstwhile 2 adults failed to travel the information measures established by the edifice to forestall accidents. That is, it would beryllium indispensable to beryllium that the edifice was negligent successful indicating, communicating oregon enforcing the information measures."

Swecker said it would beryllium imaginable for Konanki's household to writer the edifice for negligence if determination was "insufficient security," "insufficient lighting connected the beach" oregon for failing to adjacent oregon unafraid the formation during a red-flag warning.

Fox News Digital reached retired to RIU Republica for comment.

HOTEL HORROR STORIES EMERGE AFTER AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT GOES MISSING AS RESORT INSISTS NO CONNECTION

Konanki was past seen connected surveillance footage walking from RIU Republica to the formation with 7 different people, including 5 females and 2 males, astir 4:15 a.m. connected March 6. She was past seen connected the formation astir 4:50 a.m., according to the Dominican Republic prosecutor's bureau and the hotel.

Local authorities enactment successful the hunt for missing pupil Sudiksha Konanki, March 11, 2025. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

Hotel surveillance footage past shows a radical of six people, including 5 women and 1 man, returning to the edifice from the formation astir 5:55 a.m.

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The young antheral antecedently seen with Konanki is seen connected surveillance footage entering the interior of the edifice astir 9 a.m. connected March 6.

Authorities are asking anyone with accusation to interaction the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office astatine 703-777-1021. To stay anonymous, telephone Loudoun Crime Solvers astatine 703-777-1919. 

Fox News' Michael Ruiz and Ashley Papa contributed to this report.