Key witness in American college student's disappearance tells police how they met, what happened on beach

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic – A key witness in connection with American college student Sudiksha Konanki's disappearance told Dominican Republic police that he and the 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student were swimming when a big wave hit them, and they were swept away, according to a translation of a transcript shared with Fox News. 

Joshua Riibe of Iowa completed a nearly four-hour interview on Wednesday with Dominican Republic police as a witness in connection with Konanki's disappearance and answered more than 50 questions about what happened before she vanished on March 6. A source close to the investigation told Fox News Digital Friday evening that Riibe, the only publicly known eyewitness, was considered a person of interest and "key element in the investigation." He is expected to face intensified questioning led by a "high-ranking official with the Public Prosecutor’s Office." Police have said there are no suspects and this is a missing person case, not a criminal case. 

Riibe's lawyer, Beatriz Santana, declined to comment on the case or her client’s interviews with police. Riibe's parents issued a statement through their attorney on Friday taking issue with Dominican authorities' handling of the case. 

"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," his parents, Albert and Tina Riibe, said through their attorneys. "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. 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."

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Sudiksha Konanki, 20, from northern Virginia, was first reported missing on Thursday, March 6, after disappearing from a beach in the Dominican Republic.? (Handout, left, and Defensa Civil Dominicana, right.)

Riibe allegedly refused to answer eight questions, including his thoughts on the disappearance and why he did not tell the hotel or authorities about the incident. Riibe, 22, told police that he met Konanki that night, as they were both staying at the RIU Republica resort for spring break.

Investigators are looking at phone data from Konanki’s friends, a source told Fox News Digital. Meanwhile, the search effort continues on land, air and sea, and the source said authorities would be deploying AI-equipped drones to aid them.

The family said they were willing to continue cooperating with search efforts and wanted to share their "deep sorrow and solidarity" with Konanki's family.

"Above all, we wish to contribute to the search efforts and understand the anguish and uncertainty they are going through and we share the hope that Sudiksha will be found as soon as possible," they said. "Joshua Riibe is deeply dismayed by her disappearance and has fully cooperated in the search and clarification of the facts from the very beginning."

People enjoy time on the beach at the RIU ?Republica Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was last seen on March 6 on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, is studying to become a land surveyor. He has not been named a criminal suspect, and authorities have said repeatedly that they are conducting a missing person investigation, not a criminal one.

Around 4:15 a.m., Konanki was part of a group of six women and two men seen on surveillance video approaching the beach. Six of them came back around 6 a.m., leaving Konanki alone on the beach with Riibe. He came back alone around 10 a.m. 

He sat with police for multiple interviews, including one Wednesday that is recorded on a transcript obtained by Fox News. 

According to the document, Riibe said he and Konanki were talking in the water when a "big wave" hit them. There was a red-flag warning on the beach at the time, indicating a warning for people not to go swimming in rough surf.

Local authorities search for missing US student Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was last seen on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic on March 6, 2025. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

"[W]ith the water’s pullback, it dragged us further into the sea," he said. "As soon as we surfaced, we tried to call for help, but no one was there."

Riibe is a former pool lifeguard. He said he struggled pull Konanki ashore, according to the transcript. Once they were on their feet, he said she walked away to get her belongings, he threw up and passed out. He told police she was walking in knee-deep water the last he saw her.

Investigators have expanded the search area as American college student Sudiksha Konanki remains missing after she vanished from a beach in Punta Cana on March 6, 2025.? (Fox News Graphics?)

The Loudoun sheriff's office said it could not validate Wednesday's transcript but that it was consistent with what Riibe told two Virginia detectives sent down to assist in the investigation.

"Mr. Riibe is not a suspect in any way shape or form," a spokesperson told Fox News Digital, adding that the Dominican Republic is leading the investigation.

Konanki had arrived in Punta Cana on March 3 and had been staying there with five other female friends from the University of Pittsburgh. Riibe arrived on March 1. Both were staying at the Riu Republica resort.

"On the way to the beach, she was giving me small kisses on the face," Riibe told police, according to a translated transcript. 

On the beach, he and Konanki went in the water while two of her female friends stayed ashore. Eventually, the other members of their group returned to the hotel around 6 a.m. 

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"I have been a lifeguard, so I grabbed her and started pulling her out. I was holding her under the arm and swimming to get her out of the water."

— Transcript of Joshua Riibe's interview with police

Riibe said the wave hit them and dragged them both away from shore and along the coast. When they made it back to land, they weren't in front of the same section of beach, according to the transcript.

When asked what happened, Riibe said he was "getting tired" and "realized she was also getting tired of swimming."

"It took me a long time to get her out. It was difficult," Riibe continued. "I was a lifeguard in a pool, not in the ocean. I was trying to keep her breathing the whole time, which didn’t allow me to breathe properly, and I swallowed a lot of water. I could have lost consciousness at some point. When I finally touched the sand on the shore, I put her in front of me. Then she went to collect her belongings because the ocean had moved them."

Local authorities search for missing US student Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was last seen on March 6 on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

Riibe said Konanki was walking "knee-deep" in the water when he last saw her.

"I asked if she was okay. I didn’t hear her response because I started vomiting all the seawater I had swallowed," Riibe said. "After vomiting, I looked around and didn’t see anyone. I thought she had grabbed her things and left. I felt really bad and exhausted. I lay down on a beach chair, fell asleep because I couldn’t go very far, and later woke up because of the sun and mosquito bites. I went to my friend’s room to get my phone, then went to my own room to sleep."

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Riibe also told police he "expected to see her the next day" and thought he would "run into her around the area."

"After I saw her walking away in the water, I never saw her again."

— Transcript of Joshua Riibe's interview with police

Riibe said he was sleeping in his room when his friend asked him if he had seen Konanki, to which Riibe replied no.

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Sudiksha Konanki in a Facebook selfie photo. The 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh junior has been missing since March 6, when she vanished during a spring break trip to a five-star resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Sudiksha Konanki/Facebook)

"I thought she had gone to her room," he allegedly told police. "Her friends texted my friend since he had one of their numbers."

The Iowa man said his friends went to the beach the next day and found his "belongings" because he "never picked them up," other than a pair of shoes and a room key that he said "someone had stolen."

Exterior view of a police station at Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Kirill Clark)

Riibe told police he had been drinking vodka with 7Up and tequila shots, adding that the group of women he had been with purchased "pink tequila shots" that they drank as a group.

He did not answer eight questions on the advice of his attorneys, according to the transcript, including the following: 

1. How can we verify that everything you have said is true?

2. What did you tell your friend when he asked about the missing girl, Konanki-Sudiksha?

3. What do you think about Sudiksha’s disappearance?

4. Did Sudiksha know how to swim or not?

5. Do you remember if Sudiksha made any gestures or screamed while in the sea?

6. Did you inform the authorities or the hotel about what happened with you and the girl on the beach?

7. Did you tell your friend what happened between you and the girl on the beach?

8. How do you feel about this situation?

Beach loungers sit on the sand by the sea at the RIU Republica Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was last seen on March 6 on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

Riibe's parents described him as a kind person with a sense of duty to his community and a good sense of humor.

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"Throughout his life, he has shown a strong dedication to those around him, participating in sports, student events, and volunteer activities," his parents said. "His faith and values have guided his path, and those who know him can attest to his integrity and good heart."

They are asking for prayers in support of Konanki's safe return home.

"We thank those who have shown support and understanding during these difficult times," they said. "We recognize that this is a complex and painful situation for all parties involved, and we trust that the investigation will be conducted with transparency and justice. Our only interest is that due process be respected and that actions be taken with the fairness that the situation requires."

Military personnel search for Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student from the U.S. who disappeared on a beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Monday, March 10, 2025.? (AP Photo/Francesco Spotorno)

In January, four tourists drowned near Punta Cana, when a red flag warned of strong currents and rough seas, according to The Associated Press.

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Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office at 703-777-1021. To remain anonymous, call the Loudoun Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919.