As students returned to the picturesque University of Pittsburgh campus after spring break, one student was noticeably missing. Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old pre-medical student, vanished over a week ago and has yet to be found.

The parents of missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki have asked for Dominican authorities to declare their daughter dead. Their request highlights the heartbreaking realities of losing a child and handling the legalities of a missing person case.

It's a phenomenon experienced by the families of missing people when a body is never found, experts say: grief without certainty.