Man Leaves Dominican Republic Amid Investigation of Missing Student Case

Fri Oct 24 2025 15:38:05 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Joshua Steven Riibe, the last person seen with missing student Sudiksha Konanki, departs the Dominican Republic after enduring extensive questioning regarding her disappearance.

Joshua Steven Riibe, 22, has left the Dominican Republic after being questioned about the disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki, who went missing during spring break. While he was not named as a suspect, his departure follows an "exhaustive" search for Konanki, whose family believes she may have drowned.

The man last seen with Sudiksha Konanki, a college student who went missing this month while on spring break in the Dominican Republic, has left that country after he was repeatedly questioned about her disappearance, his lawyer said. Joshua Steven Riibe, 22, departed for the United States on Wednesday night with his father, according to Guzmán Ariza, the law firm representing him.

Ms. Konanki, 20, went missing on March 6 during a spring break trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Her parents expressed their belief this week that she had drowned.

Mr. Riibe was never considered a suspect, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia, which assisted in the investigation of Ms. Konanki’s disappearance. A senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, Riibe is originally from Rock Rapids, Iowa.

In a court hearing in Higüey, Dominican Republic, on Tuesday, Mr. Riibe mentioned that he had been held in the country for 10 days, as reported by El Caribe, a local newspaper. He expressed his desire to return home and see his family. ABC News reported that Dominican authorities had confiscated his passport. However, Guzmán Ariza stated that Mr. Riibe was issued a new passport by the United States Consulate shortly after applying for it.

A spokesperson for the State Department confirmed that Mr. Riibe had left the Dominican Republic. Authorities in the Dominican Republic noted that Ms. Konanki, a student at the University of Pittsburgh from Loudoun County, arrived in the Dominican Republic on March 3 and stayed at the Hotel Riu Republica in Punta Cana with five friends. She was last seen with Mr. Riibe early on March 6 near a beach.

Thomas A. Julia, a spokesman for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, mentioned that his detectives interviewed Mr. Riibe in the Dominican Republic on March 13, stating that he appeared to be fully cooperative. “From what we can tell,” Mr. Julia said, “he tried to get her out of the water.”

Ms. Konanki’s father told reporters that he and her mother believed their daughter had drowned, and they did not suspect Mr. Riibe of any wrongdoing. Following the alert about Ms. Konanki’s disappearance, Dominican authorities conducted an “exhaustive” search of the beach and surrounding areas, employing drones, helicopters, divers, boats, police dogs, and various resources.