A man who may have been the last to see missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki claims he saved her from drowning—only for her to vanish soon after, according to his statement to Dominican authorities.
Konanki, 20, was in Punta Cana for spring break with friends when she disappeared around 4:15 a.m. on March 6. The man, identified as Joshua Riibe, 22, told investigators they were waist-deep in the ocean when a wave pulled them under. A former lifeguard, he said he managed to get them both to shore, but when he turned around, she was gone.
Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud State University, has been labeled a “person of interest” by Virginia officials, though Dominican authorities have not designated him a suspect. His parents expressed their sorrow for Konanki’s family and pledged cooperation with the investigation.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office has sent detectives to assist U.S. authorities, though they have no jurisdiction in the case. Riibe, while not charged, remains confined to his hotel room. Authorities continue to search the Bávaro coastline, hoping for answers in this unsettling case.
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