Joshua Riibe has been named as a “person of interest” in the disappearance of University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki, who went missing during her spring break in the Dominican Republic, a spokesperson for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia told Fox News.
While Riibe “has been interviewed at length,” the matter is “still a missing person case, not a criminal case,” the spokesperson said, indicating that Riibe has not been accused of any crime.
“Sheriff [Michael] Chapman wants to make sure the investigation is comprehensive and includes all possible assets and techniques,” the office said. “We are working closely with the FBI on all of this, and they are working with the Dominican National Police.”
Dominican Republic National Police said Konanki — a 20-year-old pre-med student who vanished on March 6 — was last seen on surveillance camera footage with five other people entering the beach at the Riu República Hotel in Punta Cana after 4:15 a.m. that day.
Video footage obtained by the Dominican news outlet Noticias SIN appears to show Konanki clinging to a man as the group headed toward the beach. Eventually, most of the group called it a night and made their way back into the resort, but Konanki and her male companion stayed on the sand, Dominican media reported.
Riibe, meanwhile, is a former student of Central Lyon High School in Rock Rapids, Iowa, where he played football and wrestled. He is currently enrolled as a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, according to the New York Post. While Fox News reported the young man’s age as 24, other records suggest he is 22, the Post noted.
Riibe was also in the Dominican Republic for his spring break vacation, though authorities have not clarified whether he and Konanki knew each other before meeting on the island nation.
The spring breaker reportedly gave authorities three different accounts of what happened after he and Konanki were left alone on the beach. In one version, he said he threw up due to rough surf and went back to shore, adding that he had asked Konanki if she was okay before doing so. In another account, Riibe said he felt sick to his stomach, so he left the water and passed out, adding that he had seen Konanki in knee-deep surf before falling asleep. In a third retelling, Riibe said he saw Konanki walking along the beach before he nodded off on the sand.
Some Dominican authorities have speculated that Konanki likely drowned after jumping into the ocean. After being asked to react to that, a Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told Fox News they “have heard this and have seen no evidence presented at this time.”
The Dominican National Police, meanwhile, have said they are “re-interviewing targeted individuals who were in the victim’s proximity at the time of her disappearance.”
“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,” Dominican authorities said.
The U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic and the FBI have reportedly joined the Dominican National Police and the Dominican Prosecutors Office in their probe of Konanki’s disappearance. The young woman is an Indian citizen and permanent U.S. resident.
Dominican police have not revealed if they suspect foul play but noted that Riibe is cooperating with the investigation.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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