American college student disappearance: Former FBI agent points out important actions probably carried out by authorities

A former FBI special agent provided insight into the investigation and the crucial actions that investigators might be taking to locate a missing American college student who disappeared from a beach in the Dominican Republic.

Although the FBI cannot directly lead the investigation, they may leverage diplomatic channels to urge Dominican authorities to prioritize key investigative measures, offer forensic support, and facilitate the sharing of intelligence that could lead to new leads,” disclosed Jason Pack to Fox News Digital.

Pack, who served as a retired FBI supervisory special agent, formerly led the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team and acted as a legal attaché, detailed how U.S. officials are likely providing support covertly to aid in the search for Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old student at the University of Pittsburgh who went missing from a beach in the Dominican Republic in the early hours of March 6.

“Authorities should be cross-referencing surveillance footage with phone data and banking transactions to identify her last known movements,” Pack said. “They should also be using cognitive interview techniques on key witnesses to detect inconsistencies rather than accepting surface-level statements.”

Local authorities search for missing student Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on March 11, 2025. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

Police said Konanki, who is a resident of Loudon County, Virginia, traveled with five other people from the University of Pittsburgh to the Riu República Hotel in Punta Cana during the school’s spring break, which began March 2 and ended Sunday.

She was last seen on surveillance camera with five other people entering the beach at the five-star resort after 4:15 a.m. Thursday, the Dominican National Police previously said in a statement.

Footage obtained by Noticias SIN showed Konanki seemingly clinging to a man as the group made their way toward the beach.

It was the last time authorities tracked Konanki before the Virginia resident disappeared.

Former FBI special agent and Fox News contributor Nicole Parker shared her analysis on the search for Konanki and said what she thinks is most important as an investigator is to determine who she was last seen with.

Parker said that since investigators have Konanki’s phone and wallet, they will be combing through all of that information and figuring out everything they can about the man she was last seen with.

Authorities have not named any suspects in the ongoing investigation. 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.”

A joint investigation into Konanki’s disappearance is being conducted by the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic, the Dominican National Police and the Dominican Prosecutor’s Office. The FBI is also assisting.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.