Indian-origin Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old pre-med scholar from Chantilly, Virginia was last seen while on spring break with five associates at the Riu Republic Resort in Punta Cana on March 6.
Officials in Virginia have identified Iowa native Joshua Riibe as a “person of interest” in the case of University of Pittsburgh scholar who mysteriously vanished in the Dominican Republic.
Who is Joshua Riibe?
- Joshua Steven Riibe, a 24-year-old visitor from Iowa, was the last known people to view Sudiksha Konanki before her strange departure in Punta Cana.
- Originally from Rock Rapids, Iowa, Riibe is a former fighter and football person at Central Lyon High School and a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, according to his LinkedIn page.
- He had traveled to the Dominican Republic for a spring break trip and was a fellow host at the same Caribbean destination.
- Riibe told police that when he woke up from his lethargy, Konanki was nowhere to be found, according to Dominican media outlet El Nacional, which cited government.
- Officials have not clarified whether Riibe and Konanki knew each other before meeting on the island.
- He “has been interviewed at length”, Thomas Julia, director for the Loudoun County sheriff’s office, where the lost student stays, told Fox News Digital.
- Julia emphasised that Ribe faces no accusations of wrongdoing in what remains” however a missing person situation, not a legal case”.
- ” 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”, Julia added.
What does the surveillance images reveal?
- According to the Dominican Republic National Police, security footage showed Konanki, a 5 foot 3 feet tall lady with black hair and brown eyes, walking with Riibe and companions towards the beach location at about 4.15 am on Thursday.
- The images captured Konanki” clinging” onto Ribe at the Caribbean location, as they proceeded onto the beach.
- Studies indicate that while Konanki and her pals were at the beach, most of the team decided to return to their resort, leaving her on the shore with her female friend, as reported by Dominican media.
- What happened next remains vague. According to Noticias SIN, Riibe has reportedly provided three distinct records to specialists.
- Officials believe the pre-med student good drowned after entering the sea wearing a brown underwear, with reports suggesting she left her clothes on a beach head.
- First, he told officers he became poor from the rough sea, returned to sea, and checked on Konanki before leaving.
- In a minute type, he claimed he felt ill to his chest, left the water, and next saw her standing in knee-deep sea before passing out.
- In yet another speech, he said he saw Konanki walking along the sea before he fell asleep.
Authorities suspect the pre-med student perhaps had drowned after entering the sea wearing a brown underwear. Some studies indicate that she left her garments on a chaise lounge before heading into the ocean.
What Sudiksha Konanki’s parents said?
According to the New York Post, Subbarayudu Konanki, her father, submitted a problem on Monday requesting broader research functions according to his increasing problem that his child might have been kidnapped, as her body was never found along the beach.
” She’s no found, so we’re asking them to check several options, like abduction or abduction”, he told WTOP-TV.
The government maintained that there were no signs of legal activity at the site. The complaint further added that Konanki’s property, including her mobile phone and bag, remained with her companions, which was considered unexpected as she constantly kept her cellphone with her.
Punta Cana authorities on Tuesday said that they are conducting fresh interviews with Konaki’s five travelling companions, resort staff and others who were present with her during the early hours at the resort.
