Joshua Riibe, the Iowa college senior named as a person of interest in the disappearance of missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki, has returned home after weeks of questioning in the Dominican Republic.
Riibe, 22, was the last person to see Konanki, 20, before authorities believe she drowned during a trip to Punta Cana. His mother, Tina Riibe, described the situation as “really sad” and said her son is recovering at their family home in Rock Rapids.
“It was a really sad situation. Josh is resting up right now,” Tina Riibe told the DailyMail. She declined to comment on whether her son would return to St Cloud State University, where he is studying land surveying.
Riibe’s return was delayed due to passport issues after he was held in the Dominican Republic for questioning. He faced a holdover in Puerto Rico as authorities worked through complications related to an emergency passport issued by the US. consulate.
Dominican authorities questioned Riibe for two weeks before determining there was no foul play involved in Konanki’s disappearance. Riibe and Konanki had gone for an early-morning swim at the RIU Hotel & Resort in Punta Cana on March 6, but rough waters reportedly overwhelmed her.
Riibe told investigators that he had pulled Konanki into knee-deep water before passing out on the beach due to intoxication. She was never seen again. Surveillance footage showed the group drinking before heading to the beach, with Riibe appearing visibly intoxicated.
Despite being labelled a person of interest, authorities never considered Riibe a suspect. His passport and phone were seized during the investigation but were later returned. He was allowed to leave the country after Konanki’s grieving parents asked Dominican authorities to release him and declare their daughter legally dead.
Konanki’s father, Subbarayudu Konanki, expressed his sorrow over the situation.
“Both sides of the authorities have shown us how high the ocean waves were at the time of the incident, and both sides have clarified the person of interest was not a suspect from the beginning,” he said from their family home in Virginia.
“It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that we are coming to terms with the fact our daughter has drowned. This is incredibly difficult for us to process.”
