Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old Indian-American student, vanished while on a spring break trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The last person to see her, 22-year-old Joshua Riibe – now a person of interest – has provided conflicting accounts of the night’s events.
Timeline of Events
Ms Konanki, a pre-med University of Pittsburgh student from South Riding, Virginia, travelled to the Dominican Republic with five friends on vacation. On March 5, Ms Konanki and her friends went out to party at a resort nightclub in Punta Cana. They were seen on surveillance footage at the club and later walking to the beach at around 4:15 am. By 5:50 am, most of her friends had left the beach, leaving Ms Konanki alone with Joshua Riibe, a college senior from Minnesota whom she had met that night.
CCTV footage from the Riu Republica Resort shows Ms Konanki walking arm-in-arm with an unidentified man, now believed to be Mr Riibe, along a resort pathway, accompanied by her friends. She was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, shorts, and her hair tied in a ponytail.
Who is Joshua Riibe?
Joshua Riibe is a college senior at St Cloud State University in Minnesota, pursuing a degree in land surveying. He is a pool lifeguard.
Described by his family as a “kind, humorous, and community-driven young man,” Mr Riibe has been involved in student activities, sports, and volunteer work, ABC News reported.
He was not originally part of Ms Konanki’s travel group but met her on the night of her disappearance.
Joshua Riibe’s Testimony
Joshua Riibe told investigators he was with Sudiksha Konanki on the night she disappeared.
According to a transcript obtained by NBC News, Mr Riibe said they were “in waist-deep water, talking and kissing a little” when a strong wave pulled them out to sea.
Mr Riibe, who is a trained pool lifeguard, claimed he tried to hold Ms Konanki under his arm while swimming back to shore, making sure she could breathe. He struggled to stay afloat, saying, “I took in a lot of water.”
When they reached shallower waters, Mr Riibe set Ms Konanki in front of him and saw her “walking at an angle in the water.” He last asked if she was okay but didn’t hear her response as he began vomiting the seawater he had swallowed.
By the time he recovered, Ms Konanki was nowhere to be seen. Thinking she had left, Mr Riibe passed out on a beach chair. Surveillance footage later recorded him returning to his hotel alone, hours later.
Joshua Riibe’s Conflicting Statements
Initially, Mr Riibe gave multiple versions of events.
Version 1: He vomited, saw her standing, and assumed she left.
Version 2: He felt sick, left the water, and last saw her in knee-deep water.
Version 3: He saw her walking along the shore before he passed out.
Joshua Riibe’s Passport Seized
Authorities have named Mr Riibe a ‘person of interest’, not a suspect. His passport was confiscated, and he remains under police surveillance at his hotel.
Statement From Joshua Riibe’s Parents
Albert and Tina Riibe, the parents of Joshua Riibe, released a statement now shared by various media outlets.
“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.”
His parents claimed he was questioned under “irregular conditions” without official translators or legal counsel until March 12. They alleged he was confined to his hotel room under police watch since the investigation began and was repeatedly taken for long interrogations starting March 6, the day Ms Konanki disappeared.
Search Underway
Authorities, including the FBI, have launched a large-scale search using drones, helicopters, scuba divers, boats, and all-terrain vehicles to locate Ms Konanki. Dominican officials admit the chances of finding her alive are “minimal.”While authorities suspect drowning, Ms Konanki’s family fears she may have been kidnapped. Her father has urged officials to expand the investigation.