Joshua Riibe, the person of interest in the disappearance of University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki, had his passport seized by authorities in the Dominican Republic, the New York Post reported. Nearly 10 days after Konanki was seen with Riibe, his travel documents were confiscated by officials on the Caribbean island.
Riibe, an Iowa native, said he is cooperating with authorities. “I’m just trying to help them out,” he told NBC News. “The ocean is a dangerous place.”
Attorneys for Riibe acknowledged that his passport was seized. Riibe, a St. Cloud State University student, has been ordered to remain at the hotel during the investigation. He is reportedly “permanently” paired with police escorts.
Everything Joshua Riibe claimed
Riibe is believed to be the last person to see Konkani alive before she disappeared. It is believed that the two went into the water during an overnight escapade, during which they kissed and cuddled. Riibe was later detained by police under “irregular conditions,” his parents Albert and Tina said.
The nation’s attorney general’s office questioned Riibe, during which he shared details about their overnight adventure on the beach on March 6 at around 4 am. Surveillance footage showed Konanki and Riibe walking arm-in-arm alongside friends while heading toward the beach. While Konanki’s friends remained at the beach until around 5:50 am and then headed back to the hotel, Konanki and Riibe stayed behind on the beach.
Riibe and Konanki reportedly went into waist-deep waters, but were soon swept out to sea by a big wave. Riibe claimed he grabbed Konanki to save her and brought her back closer to shore, during which he swallowed sea water.“I was a lifesaver. I grabbed her and pulled her out,” he told authorities, according to a transcript of the interview that Dominican Republic’s Noticas Sin obtained.
Riibe claimed the salt water he ingested made him throw up. His last recollection of Konanki was the 20-year-old walking at an angle through the water over to where she had kept her belongings.
“The last time I saw her, I asked her if she was OK,” Riibe said. “I didn’t hear her answer because I started vomiting all the sea water I had swallowed.”
Riibe said he passed out on the beach. He woke up hours later and went back to his room. Police have not filed any charges in the case yet. The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office asserted that Riibe is a person of interest, but not a suspect.
Meanwhile, clothing believed to belong to Konanki was found on a lounge chair at the beach where she vanished.The beachwear found reportedly bears a striking resemblance to the clothing Konanki was last seen wearing in surveillance footage captured the night she went missing.
