More
    HomeEntertainmentMoviesKey witness in Sudiksha Konanki's disappearance has passport seized by authorities

    Key witness in Sudiksha Konanki’s disappearance has passport seized by authorities

    Published on

    spot_img


    Authorities in the Dominican Republic have seized the passport of Joshua Riibe, the man last seen with missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki, Fox News has learned.

    Riibe’s attorneys said Saturday that Riibe’s travel document was taken by authorities “several days ago.” He has not been named a suspect in the 20-year-old student’s disappearance, but authorities have said he is a “person of interest” in the matter, which they consider a missing person case.

    “It was confiscated by authorities when he tried to check out several days ago, when the investigation began,” lawyers from Guzmán Ariza, a Dominican Republican law firm, said. “He hasn’t had access to it since then.” 

    Though Riibe, who is from Rock Rapids, Iowa, and is a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, has not been accused of any crime, the 22-year-old has been intensely scrutinized since Konanki’s disappearance on Mar. 6. A source close to the investigation told Fox News Digital Friday that Riibe, the only publicly known eyewitness, is considered a “key element in the investigation.” 

    KEY WITNESS IN AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT’S DISAPPEARANCE TELLS POLICE HOW THEY MET, WHAT HAPPENED ON BEACH

    A timeline of Sudiksha Konanki's disappearance

    US college student Sudiksha Konanki went missing while on vacation with her friends in Punta Cana on March 6, 2025.  (Fox News Graphics)

    Konanki, a resident of Loudon County, Virginia, was staying at the Riu República Hotel in Punta Cana with five fellow Pitt students before she vanished. She was last seen on surveillance camera entering a beach with five other people after 4:15 a.m. last Thursday.

    All group members except Konanki came back around 6 a.m, while the 20-year-old stayed on the beach with Riibe. 

    On Wednesday, Riibe completed a nearly four-hour interview with detectives, answering over 50 questions about the events leading up to Konanki’s disappearance.

    MISSING AMERICAN IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: NO SUSPECTS AS SEARCH FOR SUDIKSHA KONANKI REACHES ONE WEEK

    Riibe’s parents, Albert and Tina Riibe, have denounced the investigation of their son, saying that he has “been detained under irregular conditions and subjected to extensive questioning without the presence of official translators or legal counsel until Wednesday, March 12.”

    “He has remained in his hotel room under police surveillance and has been repeatedly taken to the police station since March 6, where he has been interrogated for long hours,” the statement, shared through the Riibes’ attorneys, said. “This situation has raised serious concern within his family, which has led us to retain legal counsel to initiate legal actions ensuring his safety and the protection of his rights throughout this process.”

    Riibe has reportedly told varying stories about Konanki’s disappearance to local authorities. According to local outlet Noticias SIN, Riibe told police that he went swimming with Konanki but left after falling ill from the waves, leaving Konanki in the water.

    @sudikshakonanki tiktok bio

    Sudiksha Konanki appears in an undated photo on her TikTok profile. She was last seen on Mar. 6 at a resort beach in Punta Cana. (@sudikshakonanki/TikTok)

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

    In a second version of the story, he reportedly said that he left Konanki in knee-deep water before he passed out sick on the beach. In a third story, Riibe said he saw Konanki walking on the beach before he fell asleep.

    Fox News Digital’s Bryan Llenas, Audrey Conklin and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.



    Source link

    Latest articles

    Universities are dealing with ‘impossible situation’ after Trump attack on DEI

    Administrators, professors and prospective students at major universities across the country are...

    JASON CHAFFETZ: Democrats have a major problem and they can’t fake their way out of it

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Following an election...

    White House photos of Trump watching US strikes on Houthis in Yemen

    The White House released photos of President Donald Trump watching strikes on...

    Rhode Island Democrat lawmaker arrested for DUI ordered to install car breathalyzer

    After being arrested for driving while intoxicated in February, a judge in...

    More like this

    Universities are dealing with ‘impossible situation’ after Trump attack on DEI

    Administrators, professors and prospective students at major universities across the country are...

    JASON CHAFFETZ: Democrats have a major problem and they can’t fake their way out of it

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Following an election...

    White House photos of Trump watching US strikes on Houthis in Yemen

    The White House released photos of President Donald Trump watching strikes on...