Authorities within the Dominican Republic have seized the passport of Joshua Riibe, the person final seen with lacking College of Pittsburgh scholar Sudiksha Konanki, Fox Information has discovered.
Riibe’s attorneys mentioned Saturday that Riibe’s journey doc was taken by authorities “a number of days in the past.” He has not been named a suspect within the 20-year-old scholar’s disappearance, however authorities have mentioned he’s a “individual of curiosity” within the matter, which they think about a lacking individual case.
“It was confiscated by authorities when he tried to take a look at a number of days in the past, when the investigation started,” legal professionals from Guzmán Ariza, a Dominican Republican legislation agency, mentioned. “He hasn’t had entry to it since then.”
Although Riibe, who’s from Rock Rapids, Iowa, and is a senior at St. Cloud State College in Minnesota, has not been accused of any crime, the 22-year-old has been intensely scrutinized since Konanki’s disappearance on Mar. 6. A supply near the investigation advised Fox Information Digital Friday that Riibe, the one publicly identified eyewitness, is taken into account a “key aspect within the investigation.”
KEY WITNESS IN AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT’S DISAPPEARANCE TELLS POLICE HOW THEY MET, WHAT HAPPENED ON BEACH
US faculty scholar Sudiksha Konanki went lacking whereas on trip along with her pals in Punta Cana on March 6, 2025. (Fox Information Graphics)
Konanki, a resident of Loudon County, Virginia, was staying on the Riu República Lodge in Punta Cana with 5 fellow Pitt college students earlier than she vanished. She was final seen on surveillance digital camera coming into a seashore with 5 different folks after 4:15 a.m. final Thursday.
All group members besides Konanki got here again round 6 a.m, whereas the 20-year-old stayed on the seashore with Riibe.
On Wednesday, Riibe accomplished a virtually four-hour interview with detectives, answering over 50 questions in regards to the occasions main as much as Konanki’s disappearance.
MISSING AMERICAN IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: NO SUSPECTS AS SEARCH FOR SUDIKSHA KONANKI REACHES ONE WEEK
Riibe’s mother and father, Albert and Tina Riibe, have denounced the investigation of their son, saying that he has “been detained below irregular circumstances and subjected to in depth questioning with out the presence of official translators or authorized counsel till Wednesday, March 12.”
“He has remained in his resort room below police surveillance and has been repeatedly taken to the police station since March 6, the place he has been interrogated for lengthy hours,” the assertion, shared by means of the Riibes’ attorneys, mentioned. “This case has raised severe concern inside his household, which has led us to retain authorized counsel to provoke authorized actions making certain his security and the safety of his rights all through this course of.”
Riibe has reportedly advised various tales about Konanki’s disappearance to native authorities. Based on native outlet Noticias SIN, Riibe advised police that he went swimming with Konanki however left after falling in poor health from the waves, leaving Konanki within the water.
Sudiksha Konanki seems in an undated photograph on her TikTok profile. She was final seen on Mar. 6 at a resort seashore in Punta Cana. (@sudikshakonanki/TikTok)
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In a second model of the story, he reportedly mentioned that he left Konanki in knee-deep water earlier than he handed out sick on the seashore. In a 3rd story, Riibe mentioned he noticed Konanki strolling on the seashore earlier than he fell asleep.
Fox Information Digital’s Bryan Llenas, Audrey Conklin and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
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