A photograph displays a missing persons poster of Natalee Holloway, who vanished during her graduation trip to Aruba. The image shows the sign placed on Palm Beach near her hotel, with a ribbon fluttering in the wind in remembrance of her. (AP Photo/Leslie Mazoch)
Natalee Holloway’s mother, Beth Holloway, expressed gratitude for the support from the American embassy during the search for her daughter. She contrasted this with her experience in Aruba, where she did not have the same level of assistance available.
Both the young women vanished in Caribbean countries while on vacation.
Natalee Holloway went missing while celebrating her high school graduation at a hotel in Aruba. Similarly, Konanki disappeared while on a spring break vacation with her friends from the University of Pittsburgh at an all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Natalee Holloway was last seen alive on May 30, 2005, leaving a bar with Joran van der Sloot. He was the prime suspect in her disappearance for the following 18 years and finally admitted to killing her in an Oct. 3, 2023 confession made public after he pleaded guilty to the extortion case.
Authorities have not named any suspects amid their ongoing investigation.
Loudoun County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Thomas Julia told Fox News Digital Tuesday night that 24-year-old Joshua Riibe is a “person of interest” in the college student’s disappearance, but noted it is still a missing persons case, not a criminal case.
In a release 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.”
“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,” they said.
A member of the civil defense canine unit searches on Monday for Sudiksha Konanki, a university student from the U.S. who disappeared on a beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, last week. (AP/Francesco Spotorno)
When asked about a Monday report that Konanki may have drowned, a spokesperson for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital authorities “have heard this and have seen no evidence presented at this time.”
Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
