The family of Sudiksha Konanki, the University of Pittsburgh student who went missing while on spring break in the Dominican Republic, is still trying to accept her death.

In a heartbreaking development, the parents of missing Indian-American student Sudiksha Konanki have asked Dominican authorities to formally declare her dead, saying they have accepted the ‘deeply painful’ reality.

Joshua Riibe's return to the U.S. remains unclear as there was no immediate decision about returning his passport, which authorities confiscated last week.

Sudiksha Konanki was last seen on March 6, when she was holidaying with her friends in the Caribbean nation. She was with Joshua Riibe before heading to the beach in the early morning.