PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic — The section of beach where University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki vanished on spring break last week is the same place where four European tourists drowned in January.

It’s known to be dangerous with rough surf and strong and unpredictable currents, said Luis Vilchez, a Dominican attorney who is not involved in the case.

“Every beach located in the Macao area, where this one is located, and in Uvero Alto, are beaches in Punta Cana where you have to be careful, because when those waves are strong, they drag you out to sea,” he told Fox News Digital.

Authorities search for missing U.S. student Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Thursday, March 13, 2025. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

The family said they were willing to continue cooperating with search efforts and wanted to share their “deep sorrow and solidarity” with Konanki’s family.

“Above all, we wish to contribute to the search efforts and understand the anguish and uncertainty they are going through, and we share the hope that Sudiksha will be found as soon as possible,” they said. “Joshua Riibe is deeply dismayed by her disappearance and has fully cooperated in the search and clarification of the facts from the very beginning.”

Konanki’s whereabouts remain unknown, and officials say they are working a missing persons case and not a criminal investigation, but they have left open all possibilities. On the other hand, experts also say that bodies tend to float back to shore within two or three days. She vanished March 6.

People enjoy time on the beach at the RIU Republica Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Thursday, March 13, 2025. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

Dominican police are leading the investigation, with assistance from multiple U.S. agencies, including the FBI and Homeland Security. Investigators with the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in Konanki’s hometown sent two detectives to Punta Cana with permission from Dominican authorities. They interviewed Riibe Thursday, conducted some independent work on the ground and were headed back to the U.S. Friday.

“Mr. Riibe is not a suspect in any way shape or form,” a sheriff’s spokesman told Fox News Digital.