Tourist Joshua Riibe was grilled for four hours and extensively questioned by the Dominican Republic's highest-ranking law enforcement officer, marking the biggest legal challenge for the student since spring breaker Sudiksha Konanki went missing.
Attorney General Yeni Berenice Reynoso personally visited the Riu Republica hotel in Punta Cana on Saturday afternoon to interrogate Riibe, who reportedly was the last known person to have seen Sudiksha before she disappeared on March 6, the Daily Mail reported. This came as it was revealed that clothing suspected to belong to Konanki was found on a lounge chair at a beach in the Dominican Republic, where the 20-year-old mysteriously disappeared over a week ago.
Grilled and a Grim Discovery
The 24-year-old former high school wrestling champion has not been officially identified as a suspect but has handed over his passport and remains under constant police watch at the expansive party resort.
He was called from his room around 3 p.m. for yet another intense round of questioning, which concluded around 7 p.m, the Daily mail reported.
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."
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.
Mystery Continues in Case
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, according to a transcript of his interview obtained by Noticias SIN.
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.
Surveillance footage captured Konanki vomiting at a bar inside the resort shortly before she vanished. The footage surfaced as reports indicated that 24-year-old Riibe altered his account multiple times during various interrogations by authorities, according to People.
"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.
