 "An Iowa native, Riibe is a senior at Minnesota's St. Cloud State University, where he is currently pursuing a land surveying degree. Image Courtesy: @iamlegacy23/X")
The case of the missing Indian-origin student continues to unravel.
Sudiksha Konanki, 20, disappeared while on a spring break trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
The last person to see her was Joshua Riibe, 22, whom authorities have now declared “a person of interest” in the case.
Nearly 10 days after Konanki was seen with Riibe, his passport was confiscated by officials on the Caribbean island.
Who is Joshua Riibe?
An Iowa native, Riibe is a senior at Minnesota’s St. Cloud State University, where he is currently pursuing a land surveying degree.
He is a pool lifeguard.
According to ABC News, Riibe has participated in student activities, sports, and charity work. His family has described him as a “kind, humorous and community-driven young man."
Konanki, a pre-med University of Pittsburgh student from South Riding, Virginia, travelled to the Dominican Republic with five friends on vacation.
Though he did not initially accompany Konanki on her trip, he did meet her on the evening of her disappearance on March 5.
On March 5, Konanki and her friends went to the beach at approximately 4.15 am after having a good time at a resort nightclub in Punta Cana. Konanki and Riibe were alone on the beach at 5.50 am, as most of her friends had left.
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His testimony
Joshua Riibe admitted to detectives that he was with Konanki the night she vanished.
He said that they were “in waist-deep water, talking and kissing a little” when a huge wave dragged them out to sea, according to a transcript that NBC News obtained.
As he swam back to shore, he tried to hold Konanki under his arm so she could breathe, he added. Trying to stay afloat, he said, “I took in a lot of water.”
Riibe positioned Konanki in front of him as they approached shallower waters and noticed that she was “walking at an angle in the water.”
“The last time I saw her, I asked her if she was OK,” Riibe said. “I didn’t hear her answer because I started vomiting all the sea water I had swallowed.”
Konanki had vanished by the time he recovered.
Riibe fainted on a beach chair, assuming she had gone. Hours later, surveillance footage showed him going back to his hotel by himself.
“I’m just trying to help them out,” he told NBC News. “The ocean is a dangerous place.”
Investigators are examining Riibe’s inconsistencies on Konanki’s disappearance. According to surveillance footage, Riibe returned alone shortly before 10.00 am, while six of the friends left the beach at around 6 am. Konanki’s friends reported her missing around 4 pm that day.
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‘A person of interest’
Riibe is a “person of interest” rather than a suspect, according to the authorities. His passport was confiscated several days ago when he attempted to check out of the hotel.
He remains under police surveillance at the hotel.
Police have not filed any charges in the case yet.
Riibe’s parents, Albert and Tina, have criticised the treatment of their son, saying he has been subjected to “irregular conditions” and repeated questioning without legal counsel until March 12.
“We express our deep sorrow and solidarity with the family of Sudiksha Konanki during this painful time. 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.”
Joshua Riibe “is deeply dismayed by her disappearance and has fully cooperated in the search and clarification of the facts from the very beginning.”
They claimed he was confined to his hotel room under police surveillance since the investigation began, and he was repeatedly detained for lengthy interrogations beginning March 6, the day Konanki disappeared.
Search underway
To locate Konanki, authorities, including the FBI, have begun a massive search which involves using all-terrain vehicles, boats, scuba divers, drones, and helicopters.
Dominican officials acknowledge that the likelihood of discovering her alive is “minimal.”
At the beach where Konanki disappeared, clothes thought to be hers were discovered on a lounge chair.
Authorities believe Konanki drowned, but her family thinks she could have been kidnapped. Officials have been urged to broaden the probe by her father.
Notably, Konanki’s disappearance comes two months after four European tourists drowned at the same resort. Officials retrieved their bodies in 48 hours.
With inputs from agencies