Joshua Riibe, detained in Indian-origin Sudiksha Konanki's disappearance, under 'irregular conditions,' says his family

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Joshua Riibe, a person of interest in the disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student, is being held in the Dominican Republic under “irregular conditions.” Konanki was last seen with Riibe and others at a Punta Cana beach. Riibe provided conflicting statements claiming he lost sight of Konanki in the water.

Parents of Joshua Riibe, identified as a “person of interest” in the case of missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki in the Dominican Republic, claim their son is being held under “irregular conditions.”

“Despite his full willingness to cooperate, Josh has been detained under irregular conditions and subjected to extensive questioning without the presence of official translators or legal counsel until Wednesday, March 12,” the parents Albert and Tina Riibe said in a statement according to WTAE.

“He has remained in his hotel room under police surveillance and has been repeatedly taken to the police station since March 6, where he has been interrogated for long hours. This situation has raised serious concern within his family, which has led us to retain legal counsel to initiate legal actions ensuring his safety and the protection of his rights throughout this process,” they added.

Albert and Tina have called for a fair investigation after their son Joshua, aged 22, was identified by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia as “person of interest” in Konanki’s disappearance. The 20-year-old student was last spotted at the Riu Republica resort beach in Punta Cana on March 6.

According to the Dominican Republic National Police, surveillance footage shows Konanki with seven others, including Riibe, entering the beach at the Riu República Hotel in Punta Cana after 4.15 am March 6. The footage also shows them holding hands whilst her college friends walked nearby.

Konanki and a group of friends were at the beach before most of them decided to return to their hotel, leaving her behind with a male companion, according to Dominican media reports.

Initially, authorities suspected she may have drowned, but on Wednesday, they stated that “foul play” had not been ruled out.

Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, has reportedly given police multiple conflicting statements regarding what transpired after he and Konanki were left alone on the beach.

In his most recent statement, according to a transcript obtained by the Dominican Republic’s Noticias Sin, Riibe claimed he rescued Konanki from the rough Caribbean waters but ultimately lost sight of her in the darkness.

“It took me a long time to get her out. It was difficult,” Riibe said, Noticias SIN reported. He further continued that he was trained as a lifeguard, but worked at pools, not at the beach.

“I was trying to get her to breathe the whole time. That didn’t allow me to breathe all the time, and I swallowed a lot of water. I could have lost consciousness several times. When I finally reached the ground on the beach, I held her in front of me,” he added.

He stated his last sighting of Konanki was in knee-deep water. “The last time I saw her, I asked if she was OK. I didn’t hear her answer because I started vomiting up all the seawater I had swallowed.”

“After vomiting, I looked around, and I didn’t see anyone. I thought she had grabbed her things and left,” Riibe said. “I felt very sick and tired. I lay down on a beach chair and fell asleep because I couldn’t go far,” he added.

Riibe mentioned being awakened by sunlight and mosquitoes, after which he retrieved his phone from his friend’s room before going to sleep in his own room.

When questioned about seeing Konanki after that night, Riibe responded, “After I saw her walk away while she was walking in the water, I never saw her again.”

According to a transcript obtained by Noticias SIN, Riibe declined to answer some of the prosecutor’s questions.

He stated that he first met Konanki at the hotel when he and a friend introduced themselves to her group. Konanki had traveled to the resort with five other female students from the University of Pittsburgh, as confirmed by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.

Riibe recounted that both groups went to a bar, where they drank together until “someone suggested we go to the beach,” while two of the women, decided to stay behind.

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