Sudiksha Konaki, a 20-year-old American scholar attending the College of Pittsburgh, has been lacking since March 6 after occurring a spring break trip in Punta Cana. The case has had restricted leads, however one key piece of proof comes from a video displaying Konaki with pals heading to the seashore round 4:15 a.m. native time on the sixth. Amongst these within the video was Joshua Steven Riibe, who was the final recognized individual together with her, except for the group.
Discover out extra about him, his standing within the case, updates on Konaki, and extra beneath.
Who Is Joshua Riibe?
Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud State College in Minnesota majoring in land surveying and mapping sciences, is initially from Rock Rapids, Iowa, in response to a college spokesperson.
The 22-year-old American shouldn’t be thought-about a suspect within the case and has not been accused of any wrongdoing. A spokesperson from the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Workplace informed the publication that no fees have been filed towards Riibe, however he was “an individual of curiosity in what remains to be a lacking individual investigation.”
In his fourth interview with prosecutors on March 12, Riibe described how he and Konanki have been on the seashore when an intense wave swept them out to sea. He recounted struggling to save lots of Konanki whereas additionally combating exhaustion himself.
“It took me a very long time to get her out. It was troublesome,” Riibe mentioned, in response to Dominican information company Noticias SIN. He defined that though he was educated as a lifeguard, he had solely labored at swimming pools, not on the seashore.
“I used to be attempting to get her to breathe the entire time. That didn’t enable me to breathe on a regular basis, and I swallowed a variety of water. I may have misplaced consciousness a number of occasions. After I lastly reached the bottom on the seashore, I held her in entrance of me.”
Riibe went on to explain the ultimate moments he spent with Konanki, saying, “The final time I noticed her, I requested if she was OK. I didn’t hear her reply as a result of I began vomiting up all of the seawater I had swallowed. After vomiting, I regarded round, and I didn’t see anybody. I believed she had grabbed her issues and left. I felt very sick and drained. I lay down on a seashore chair and fell asleep as a result of I couldn’t go far.”
Riibe has been cooperating with legislation enforcement, however his dad and mom acknowledged that he was detained “underneath irregular circumstances” and questioned with out official translators or authorized counsel till March 12. He has remained underneath police surveillance in his lodge room and has been taken to the police station for a number of interrogations. Consequently, his household has employed a lawyer “to provoke authorized actions making certain his security and the safety of his rights.”
He and Konanki additionally hung out on the seashore “kissing” previous to her disappearance, Riibe informed native authorities in an interview transcript obtained by NBC Information.
Is a Individual of Curiosity the Identical as a Suspect?
No, an individual of curiosity shouldn’t be the identical as a suspect.
An individual of curiosity is anybody the police consider has essential details about against the law. This particular person could also be a witness or somebody with an in depth relationship to the sufferer. After gathering proof and data from the individual of curiosity, the police could establish a celebration they consider dedicated the crime, at which level that individual turns into a suspect. An individual of curiosity could assist the police discover the suspect or could finally transform one.
The place Is Sudiksha Konanki?
Konaki, a pre-med scholar on the College of Pittsburgh, arrived in Punta Cana together with her pals on March 3. Her present whereabouts are unknown, and it stays unclear whether or not she remains to be alive.
What Occurred to Sudiksha Konanki?
In response to Konaki’s father, Subbarayudu Konaki, she “went to the seashore on March 6 early morning round 4 a.m. with pals and another guys they met on the resort. After that, her pals got here again after a while and my daughter didn’t come again, didn’t present up from the seashore.”
“Up to now, the authorities, a number of authorities right here within the Dominican Republic have searched within the waters,” he added, in response to CNN. “They searched utilizing helicopters and different instruments. Additionally they searched within the close to bay, bushes, bushes. They went a number of occasions across the identical areas.”
An area police supply informed the outlet that surveillance footage captured 5 ladies and one man leaving the seashore on the Riu República Lodge at 5:55 a.m., and Konanki was believed to have stayed on the seashore with one other younger man. At 9:55 a.m., the younger man was captured leaving the seashore in later surveillance video, however Konanki was nowhere to be seen. Konanki’s father inspired police to research whether or not his daughter’s disappearance is a kidnapping or a case of human trafficking, he informed CNN.
New info has emerged suggesting that Konaki was caught within the ocean with Riibe and struggled to make it again to the seashore. Her white swimsuit cover-up was additionally discovered on a seashore chair close to the placement the place she was final seen.
