Authorities Identify Male Friend of Missing American College Student as Person of Interest
Sudiksha Konanki, 20, went missing on March 6 while vacationing in the Dominican Republic with five female friends during spring break.
A 24-year-old man is under police interrogation regarding the disappearance of a University of Pittsburgh student who was on vacation in the Dominican Republic for spring break.
Sudiksha Konanki, aged 20, disappeared on March 6 in Punta Cana, where she was staying at the Riu Republica Resort with her five college friends during spring break. The 5-foot-3 student was last spotted on the resort’s beach at 4:50 a.m. local time.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) in Virginia has confirmed that Joshua Steven Ribe, 24, has been a person of interest for several days and remains in the Dominican Republic.
“We have confirmation that he is a U.S. citizen who met her there and was also at the Riu,” LCSO media relations and communications director Thomas A. Julia told NTD in a March 11 message.
On March 9, Konanki’s parents, Subbarayudu and Sreedevi, traveled to Punta Cana with two family friends and filed a complaint requesting authorities to broaden the search for their daughter, according to the Associated Press.
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While Ribe is under investigation, the case remains classified as a missing person inquiry, encompassing whether he was the last individual to have seen Konanki and the possible involvement of alcohol, Julia stated.
“There is conflicting information being sorted out by the FBI and the Dominican National Police (DNP),” he added.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) declined to comment but mentioned that it may allocate resources to investigations in foreign nations when an American citizen is reported missing.
“This international cooperation is always conducted with the host country’s consent and in conjunction with the Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of State,” the FBI National Press Office stated in an email on March 11.
Neither the DOJ nor the Dominican Police responded to requests for comment by the time of publication. The U.S. State Department’s press office also declined to comment on March 11.
Dominican President Luis Abinader stated during a weekly press briefing on Monday that tourist safety is rarely a concern, noting that approximately 11 million tourists visit the Dominican Republic each year.
“We are worried,” Abinader said about Konanki’s disappearance. “All government agencies are involved in the search … because the most recent information we have from one of the last people who was with the young woman indicates that a wave crashed into them while they were on the beach.”
At the time of her disappearance, Konanki was seen wearing a brown bikini, hoop earrings, a designer anklet on her right ankle, steel bracelets on her right wrist, and a multicolored beaded bracelet on her left wrist. She has not been in contact with anyone since.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
