Authorities have named Joshua Riibe as a person of interest in the disappearance of University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki, who vanished while on spring break in the Dominican Republic. The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia confirmed Riibe’s status in the case five days into the ongoing search but emphasized that the case remains a missing person investigation rather than a criminal matter.
“Sheriff [Michael] Chapman wants to make sure the investigation is comprehensive and includes all possible assets and techniques,” a spokesperson for the office said, adding that they are working closely with the FBI and the Dominican National Police.
Konanki, a 20-year-old pre-med student, was last seen on March 6 at the Riu República Hotel in Punta Cana. Surveillance footage captured her entering the beach area with five others at approximately 4:15 a.m. Most of the group eventually returned to the resort, leaving Konanki alone with a male companion. Dominican news outlet Noticias SIN reported that footage showed Konanki clinging to the man before they remained on the beach together.
Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, was also vacationing in the Dominican Republic for spring break. His prior connection to Konanki, if any, remains unclear. Authorities reported that Riibe has given three different accounts of his last interactions with Konanki, including claims that he became ill and left the water, passed out on the beach, or last saw Konanki walking along the shore before he fell asleep.
Dominican authorities have suggested Konanki may have drowned, but the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office stated, “We have heard this and have seen no evidence presented at this time.” The Dominican National Police continue to re-interview individuals who were in Konanki’s vicinity, including hotel employees, to piece together her final known movements.
The U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic and the FBI are now assisting in the search. Konanki, an Indian citizen and permanent U.S. resident, remains missing as authorities intensify efforts to determine what happened.
