The passport of Joshua Riibe, an American linked to the disappearance of a College of Pittsburgh pupil, has been confiscated by Dominican authorities as a part of an ongoing investigation, his attorneys informed NBC Information.
Riibe may 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 seaside with buddies.
Talking solely to NBC Information briefly on the resort the place Konanki had been staying earlier than her disappearance, Riibe stated, “I’m simply making an attempt to assist them out,” including: “The ocean is a harmful place.”
Riibe “has been confined to the lodge for the reason that investigation started. He’s completely escorted by the police wherever he goes. So no, he’s not free to go away,” his regulation agency informed 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 making an attempt 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 go away.”
No fast remark from DR nationwide police.
— Jesse Kirsch (@JesseKirschNews) March 15, 2025
In an interview this week with native investigators, Riibe stated he was on the seaside with Konanki shortly earlier than she disappeared.
He stated they had been “in waist-deep water, speaking and kissing a bit,” in response to a transcript of the interview obtained by NBC Information. A wave crashed, taking them each “out to sea.”
“I stored making an attempt to get her to breathe, however that did not permit me to breathe on a regular basis, and I swallowed a number of water,” he stated, telling investigators that he used to work as a lifeguard.
Riibe stated he obtained 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 stated. “I regarded round and did not see anybody. I believed she’d grabbed her issues and left.”
He informed 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. facet of the investigation.
Authorities within the Dominican Republic stated 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 legal matter.
Riibe, 22, from Rock Rapids, Iowa, is a senior at St. Cloud State College in Minnesota.
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