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Day: March 9, 2025
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5PM ET 03/09/2025 Newscast
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4PM ET 03/09/2025 Newscast
(NewsNation) — The United States is sending federal personnel to the Dominican Republic to locate missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki.
Konanki, 20, went missing while on a spring break trip with friends in Punta Cana during the early hours of Thursday.
A resident of Ashburn, Virginia, Konanki was last seen on Mar. 6 at 4:50 a.m. while walking on the beach at Riu Republica Resort, which is just north of Punta Cana in the La Altagracia district.
Sudiksha Konanki disappears on spring break with friends
According to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Konanki was last seen wearing a brown bikini, big round earrings, a metal designer anklet on her right leg, yellow and steel bracelets on her right hand, and a multicolored beaded bracelet on her left hand.
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Missing Pitt student Sudiksha Konanki -
The United States is sending federal personnel to the Dominican Republic to locate a missing University of Pittsburgh student. Sudiksha Konanki, 20, went missing while on a spring break trip with friends in Punta Cana during the early hours of Thursday. -
Missing Pitt student Sudiksha Konanki
Konanki is a citizen of India and a permanent U.S. resident. She was one of six female University of Pittsburgh students traveling together for Spring Break. According to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, the Indian embassy in the Dominican Republic has led the search efforts, along with state, federal and on-the-ground law enforcement.
The Dominican Civil Defense said it, and a search and rescue unit, has been working since Saturday to locate Konanki. Drones and helicopters are also being used in the search.
“It is our understanding that the US is deploying considerable federal assets to locate the missing female, supporting the Dominican National Police,” the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said.
Interviews underway after University of Pittsburgh student goes missing
The public prosecutor’s office did interview Konanki’s friends. Police also spoke with a man who was allegedly at the beach around the same time as Konanki and are trying to verify his story.
On Sunday, RIU Hotels released a statement, saying, in part, “From the moment her absence was reported, we have been working closely with the local authorities, including the police and the navy, to conduct a thorough search.”
Hotel officials also said that they have created an internal communications channel so that all employees across the five Punta Cana hotels can share any information they have with hotel leaders and police, according to NBC News.
State Department issues travel advisory for Dominican Republic
The U.S. State Department has issued a Level 2 travel advisory for the Dominican Republic, warning of violent crime, including armed robbery, homicide and sexual assault.
Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman told NewsNation his department is “leaving no stone unturned” and has reached out to her parents, who are likely traveling to the Dominican Republic. Meanwhile, the University of Pittsburgh is in contact with Konanki’s family and is offering full support in efforts to locate her.
Authorities remain concerned about the lack of information on Konanki’s whereabouts, while her travel companions are expected to return to the U.S. on Monday after speaking with Dominican officials.
Thomas Julia, the sheriff’s office spokesperson, told NBC News, “Right now, it runs the gamut from something accidental to foul play. It is all at this point under consideration. Nothing’s been ruled out.”
Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts is urged to contact the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office at 703-777-1021.
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3PM ET 03/09/2025 Newscast
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Life Hack: “Here’s What Happens when You Wrap Car Keys with Aluminum Foil.”
Kash Patel ’s early requests as the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s new director indicate that he does not trust the agency he was named to lead.
Soon after being confirmed by the Senate in February, Patel, whose critics have branded him a conspiracy theorist, inquired about hiring his own private security detail, people with knowledge of the matter told The Wall Street Journal .
As director, Patel is automatically assigned a team of FBI agents charged with ensuring his safety, so the request indicates that he is not willing to place his life in the hands of his own agents.
In another unusual ask, Patel inquired about how to get a secure phone line directly to the Oval Office from both his FBI office and his home, according to the Journal . He did not wish to go through the FBI landline in his office.
Under the usual chain of command, the FBI director would typically get in contact with the president through the attorney general. All FBI directors since J. Edgar Hoover have sought to maintain distance from the White House as a show of independence.
Patel, however, is a loyal ally of President Donald Trump .
“Director Patel is aggressively working to deliver on removing criminals from our streets, restoring law and order, and ensuring agents have the resources they need to perform their duties effectively,” FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson told the Journal . “We have absolutely zero interest in engaging with false leaks or distractions that undermine that mission.”
The FBI did not immediately return the Daily Beast’s request for comment on Patel’s reported requests.
Patel was among Trump’s most controversial administration picks. Every single Democratic senator, as well as two Republicans, voted against his confirmation, but Patel still made it through .
The reservation wasn’t just that Patel, who was a national security adviser in Trump’s first administration, had a complete lack of experience at the FBI. His critics have also labeled him an unbridled conspiracy theorist.
Patel authored a children’s picture book that pushed the claim that former President Joe Biden rigged the 2020 election against Trump. As a commentator at The Epoch Times , Patel often labeled his political opposition and even the FBI as part of “the deep state.” He has also expressed a sympathetic attitude toward the QAnon movement, which posits that the Democratic Party is a pedophilic cabal.
In February, Patel was accused of spearheading the purge of senior FBI officials, even though he had not yet been confirmed. The Justice Department has also been trying to fire FBI agents who investigated Trump but has faced legal pushback.
Last week, Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi enraged Trump’s supporters with a release of “Epstein files” that offered no new information on the disgraced sex-offender financier.
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