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 exhibiting Konaki with mates heading to the seaside round 4:15 a.m. native time on the sixth. Amongst these within the video was Joshua Steven Riibe, who was the final identified individual together with her, other than 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, based on a college spokesperson.
The 22-year-old American isn’t thought of a suspect within the case and has not been accused of any wrongdoing. A spokesperson from the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Workplace advised 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 seaside 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 tough,” Riibe stated, based on 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 seaside.
“I used to be attempting to get her to breathe the entire time. That didn’t permit me to breathe on a regular basis, and I swallowed lots of water. I might have misplaced consciousness a number of occasions. After I lastly reached the bottom on the seaside, 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 seemed 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 seaside chair and fell asleep as a result of I couldn’t go far.”
Riibe has been cooperating with regulation enforcement, however his dad and mom acknowledged that he was detained “below irregular circumstances” and questioned with out official translators or authorized counsel till March 12. He has remained below 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 guaranteeing his security and the safety of his rights.”
He and Konanki additionally hung out on the seaside “kissing” previous to her disappearance, Riibe advised native authorities in an interview transcript obtained by NBC Information.
Is a Individual of Curiosity the Similar as a Suspect?
No, an individual of curiosity isn’t 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 a detailed relationship to the sufferer. After gathering proof and knowledge 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 grow to be one.
The place Is Sudiksha Konanki?
Konaki, a pre-med scholar on the College of Pittsburgh, arrived in Punta Cana together with her mates 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 seaside on March 6 early morning round 4 a.m. with mates and another guys they met on the resort. After that, her mates got here again after a while and my daughter didn’t come again, didn’t present up from the seaside.”
“To date, the authorities, a number of authorities right here within the Dominican Republic have searched within the waters,” he added, based on CNN. “They searched utilizing helicopters and different instruments. Additionally they searched within the close to bay, bushes, timber. They went a number of occasions across the identical areas.”
A neighborhood police supply advised the outlet that surveillance footage captured 5 girls and one man leaving the seaside on the Riu República Resort at 5:55 a.m., and Konanki was believed to have stayed on the seaside with one other younger man. At 9:55 a.m., the younger man was captured leaving the seaside 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 advised CNN.
New info has emerged suggesting that Konaki was caught within the ocean with Riibe and struggled to make it again to the seaside. Her white swimsuit cover-up was additionally discovered on a seaside chair close to the placement the place she was final seen.
