The passport of Joshua Riibe, an American linked to the disappearance of a College of Pittsburgh scholar, has been confiscated by Dominican authorities as a part of an ongoing investigation, his attorneys advised NBC Information.
Riibe might need been the final individual to see Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old Pittsburgh junior who went to Punta Cana on March 3 with 5 feminine buddies for spring break. She was final seen round 4:15 a.m. on March 6 after going to the seashore with buddies.
Talking completely to NBC Information briefly on the resort the place Konanki had been staying earlier than her disappearance, Riibe mentioned, “I’m simply attempting to assist them out,” including: “The ocean is a harmful place.”
Riibe “has been confined to the resort because the investigation started. He’s completely escorted by the police wherever he goes. So no, he’s not free to depart,” his legislation agency advised NBC Information on Saturday.
The Dominican Republic’s nationwide police didn’t instantly reply to NBC Information’ request for remark.
BREAKING—Joshua Riibe tells @NBCNews “I’m simply attempting to assist them out…The ocean is a harmful place,” when approached at Riu Republica.
MORE: His attorneys inform us “His passport has been confiscated…he’s not free to depart.”
No speedy remark from DR nationwide police.
— Jesse Kirsch (@JesseKirschNews) March 15, 2025
In an interview this week with native investigators, Riibe mentioned he was on the seashore with Konanki shortly earlier than she disappeared.
He mentioned they had been “in waist-deep water, speaking and kissing slightly,” in line with a transcript of the interview obtained by NBC Information. A wave crashed, taking them each “out to sea.”
“I saved attempting to get her to breathe, however that did not permit me to breathe on a regular basis, and I swallowed plenty of water,” he mentioned, telling investigators that he used to work as a lifeguard.
Riibe mentioned he received Konanki again to shore earlier than she went lacking.
“The final time I noticed her, I requested if she was OK. I did not hear her reply,” he mentioned. “I regarded round and did not see anybody. I believed she’d grabbed her issues and left.”
He advised authorities within the Dominican Republic that he was shocked to later study she was lacking.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Workplace, the place Konanki is from and the place her household lives, has described Riibe as a “individual of curiosity.” The sheriff’s workplace has no jurisdiction over the investigation however has despatched detectives to Punta Cana to help within the U.S. aspect of the investigation.
Authorities within the Dominican Republic mentioned Thursday they don’t use the time period “individual of curiosity” within the case and at this level, nobody is taken into account a suspect.
U.S. authorities say it is a lacking individual’s case and never a felony matter.
Riibe, 22, from Rock Rapids, Iowa, is a senior at St. Cloud State College in Minnesota.
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