Investigators seize passport, question 'person of interest' in disappearance of missing Pitt student

Megan Guza, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Mar 17, 2025

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Authorities have confiscated the passport of a man considered a "person of interest" in the disappearance of University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki in the Dominican Republic earlier this month, according to CNN.

Joshua Riibe is a person of interest but not a suspect in the case, according to authorities in Konanki's home county in Virginia, and the case remains that of a missing person, not a criminal investigation. Riibe, though, is considered a "key element in the investigation," according to a source close to the case, and he remained in custody over the weekend.

He has been interviewed multiple times in the 10 days since Konanki went missing from the beach near her Punta Cana resort, and questioning late last week at the Dominican's Gender Violence Unit was led by the Public Prosecutor's Office. NBC News reported that Riibe was seen on the beach with investigators early Sunday.

"I'm just trying to help them out," Riibe told NBC. "The ocean is a dangerous place."

Konanki, a pre-med student, seemingly vanished March 6 from the beach near the Punta Cana resort where she and five friends were spending spring break. She was last seen on the beach shortly before 5 a.m., and authorities from the Dominican Republic and United States have spent a week conducting extensive searches via land, sea, and air to no avail.

Security footage captured Konanki, her five friends, and two men walking toward the beach shortly after 4 a.m. Thursday. Less than an hour later, footage showed the five friends and one of the men returning from the beach. The other man is seen returning from the beach with no sign of Konanki just before 9 a.m.

According to excerpts translated from Noticias SIN, Riibe identified himself as the man in the surveillance footage with Konanki.

Riibe's parents said in a statement to Fox News Friday their son has been detained "under irregular conditions," alleging he'd been through extensive questioning with no translator or legal counsel until March 12 — nearly a week after Konanki went missing.

"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," Albert and Tina Riibe told the outlet through their attorneys. "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."

Riibe, according to the transcript, told investigators that he and a friend arrived back at the resort after a night out and introduced themselves to Konanki and her friends. He said they all got a drink and then went to the beach.

He said he and Konanki went about waist-deep into the water and, after some time, a wave crashed over them and pulled them away from the shore. As he swam the two of them toward shore, he said, he kept telling Konanki to breathe, swallowing seawater as he did.

When they were able to touch the sand, he allegedly said Konanki began walking away in knee-deep water. He said he asked if she was OK but didn't hear her answers over his own vomiting.

After, he said, he "looked around and didn't see anyone," according to the report. "I thought she had grabbed her things and left." He said he passed out on a beach chair until shortly before 10 a.m., collected his things from his friend's room, and went to sleep.

According to NBC News, Konanki's friends were on an excursion during the day on Thursday and didn't realize she was missing until late that afternoon. Dominican authorities said they received a call from the U.S. Embassy alerting them to the situation Friday morning.

Last week, authorities found a sarong-style swimsuit cover-up and sandals on a chaise lounge on the beach, both of which Konanki's friends identified as belonging to her.

The disappearance has sparked a massive multi-agency investigation, including Dominican authorities, the U.S. State Department and the FBI. Dominican officials said earlier this week hundreds of investigators were searching for the missing student.

Meanwhile, Konanki's family has asked Dominican authorities to widen the investigation, according to WTOP-FM, and her father and a family friend filed a record of complaint last week. The complaint, according to the radio station, notes that, "While it is possible that Sudiksha drowned, there is a growing suspicion that there may be a crime, specifically the possibility of kidnapping."

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