Joshua Riibe is a person of interest in the case of Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student who has gone missing. Authorities in the Dominican Republic took away Riibe’s passport nearly 10 days after Sudiksha was last seen with him.
Riibe, who is from Iowa and studies at St. Cloud State University, says he is helping the police. “I’m just trying to help them out,” he told NBC News. “The ocean is a dangerous place.”
Riibe was seen with Sudiksha during an overnight trip. They were reported to have gone into the water together. On the beach, they were seen holding hands, but only Riibe returned to the hotel.
Riibe told police they had fun on the beach on March 6 at around 4 a.m. They were with friends, but when those friends left, Riibe and Sudiksha remained. They waded into the water, but a strong wave pulled them away.
Riibe claims he tried to save Sudiksha, saying he pulled her closer to shore and swallowed a lot of seawater, which made him sick. “The last time I saw her, I asked her if she was OK,” he recalled. However, he started to vomit and lost sight of her.
When Riibe woke up later, he went back to his room. Police still haven’t charged him with anything. Even though police call him a person of interest, he isn’t a suspect just yet.
Clothing believed to belong to Sudiksha was discovered on a lounge chair at the beach where she disappeared. This clothing looks familiar to what Sudiksha was wearing that night.
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