Person of interest named in disappearance of student in Dominican Republic

Authorities in Virginia have identified a person of interest in connection to the mysterious disappearance of a University of Pittsburgh student last week in the Dominican Republic.

Article content

Article content

Article content

Sudiksha Konanki, 20, vanished on March 6 during her Spring Break vacation in Punta Cana.

Iowa resident Joshua Riibe, 24, is being investigated by the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia, where Konanki is from.

Riibe is not considered a suspect by authorities in the Dominican Republic, with officials there saying they believe Konacki likely drowned.

Thomas Julia, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, told Fox News that Riibe has not been accused of any crime and “has been interviewed at length,” adding that it remains “a missing person case, not a criminal case.”

Julia said: “Sheriff [Michael] Chapman wants to make sure the investigation is comprehensive and includes all possible assets and techniques. We are working closely with the FBI on all of this, and they are working with the Dominican National Police.”

Article content

Article content

Additionally, the U.S. State Department is working with the Indian embassy in the DR, which has taken the lead in the investigation as Konanki is an Indian citizen and permanent resident of the United States.

La Policia Nacional also said in a statement that Riibe’s passport had not been confiscated, and that only the Public Prosecutor’s Office has the authority to order that as part of a probe.

Police said Konanki travelled with five friends to the Riu Republica Hotel in Punta Cana for their March 2-9 stay.

She was last seen on surveillance camera with five people entering the beach at the five-star resort after 4:15 a.m. Thursday, the Dominican Republic National Police previously said in a statement.

Footage obtained by Noticias SIN showed Konanki appearing to cling to a man as the group made their way towards the beach.

Article content

It was the last time authorities tracked the Virginia resident before she disappeared.

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Sheriff Chapman said Monday that when she disappeared, she was with one of the friends she travelled with along with others who were not part of her group.

“They were not people that travelled with her. They were not people from the University of Pittsburgh,” he told WJLA.

“They were people that they met down there, and that’s all I can tell you at this point.”

A source close to the investigation told the Daily Mail that Riibe, a 24-year-old senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota and former high school wrestler, was “being cooperative.”

Article content

Riibe reportedly told investigators he and Konanki went into the water and were swept by a wave, and then he eventually fell asleep on the beach before he woke up and returned to his room.

Security cameras picked up Riibe, barefoot and shirtless, as he walked back to his room at 8:54 a.m., the Mail reported.

Authorities have not named any suspects in the ongoing investigation, but DR authorities said they are “re-interviewing targeted individuals who were in the victim’s proximity at the time of her disappearance.”

They added: “This includes hotel employees where Konanki and her companions were staying, with the goal of gathering information to corroborate her movements, interactions, and any relevant details for the investigation.”

Article content