The last person to see University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki before she vanished is in custody and his passport has been seized, according to reports. Officials in the Dominican Republic are intensifying their investigation into Joshua Riibe as he was grilled for hours by one of top law enforcement officials on Saturday.
Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, was questioned late into the night by Dominican Attorney General Yeni Berenice Reynoso and Navy Vice Admiral Agustin Morillo Rodriguez. According to the Spanish-language outlet Noticias SIN, the interrogation lasted until nearly 3 a.m. on Sunday but cops haven't been able to extract any new from him.
In Custody at Hotel
The two senior officials were seen leaving the RIU Hotel & Resort in Punta Cana, where Riibe, 22, has been held "in custody" since shortly after Konanki went missing on March 6, according to the report.
Riibe was named as a "person of interest" in the case, though he has not been formally accused of any crime or charged.
Officials have seized his passport, preventing him from leaving the country until the investigation is over. He has also been placed under police monitoring, according to the Dominican government.
"Joshua Steven Riibe, who has been identified as a "person of interest," remains in custody and is being interrogated at the National Police's Gender Violence Unit to gather more information about the incident," a rep for the Caribbean nation said in an update on Friday.
"As long as authorities consider Joshua Steven Riibe a key element in the investigation, he will remain in custody," the notice said.
Earlier this week, the somber-faced Rock Rapids, Iowa native, refused to answer questions when approached by the Daily Mail in the hotel lobby, where he was seen walking with his father, Mike, 46, and a police escort.
However, in a later statement, his parents, Mike and Tina, expressed frustration, claiming their son was effectively being detained and subjected to "irregular treatment."
Clothes Found but Not Body
This came as it was revealed that Konanki's clothing was found on a lounge chair at the Dminican Republic beach from where she vanished more than a week ago, local media reported. Newly released photos reveal a white netted sarong draped over a beach chair, along with a pair of sand-covered beige flip-flops positioned beside the leg of a sun lounger, according to CDN, which obtained the photos.
Authorities told the outlet that the beachwear closely resembles the outfit worn by the Virginia native in surveillance footage from the night she vanished and appears to be untampered.
Investigators suspect that the spring breaker removed her clothing, leaving it on the lounge chair, before entering the ocean and drowning while wearing a brown bikini.
The Indian national was reported missing around 4 p.m. on March 6 by the friends she had traveled with to the Caribbean. At first, local authorities suspected that Konaski had drowned, but they have not ruled out the possibility of foul play.
Her disappearance has left authorities puzzled and led her parents to plead for an extensive search effort for the pre-med student.
Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, claimed he had only recently met Konanki before they decided to go to the beach together.
Riibe told police that the two had kissed in the ocean before they were nearly swept away by a wave. He said he managed to save her from drowning but almost lost consciousness himself.
However, he refused to answer certain questions, prompting officers to challenge him on how they could verify his account.
Investigators also questioned Riibe about what he had told his close friend regarding Konanki and his thoughts on her disappearance.
He was also asked if he knew whether Konanki could swim, if she had made any gestures or cries for help in the water, whether he had contacted the police or the hotel, if he had informed his friends about what happened, and how he felt about the situation.
To each of these questions, he responded, "My lawyers advise me not to answer that question and I follow their advice," before going silent.
"Despite his full willingness to cooperate, Josh has been detained under irregular conditions and subjected to extensive questioning without the presence of official translators or legal counsel until Wednesday, March 12," the Riibes parents said in a statement, WTAE reported.
The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, the law enforcement agency in Konanki's hometown in Virginia, also identified Riibe as a person of interest but emphasized that he is not considered a suspect.
As of Saturday, the search for Konanki had reached its eighth day, with missing persons posters describing her as 5-foot-3 with black hair and brown eyes.
