SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — New information is coming to light about an northwestern Iowa man who is a person of interest in the disappearance of a college student on spring break in the Dominican Republic.
Joshua Riibe, 22, from Rock Rapids is reportedly the last person who saw Sudiksha Konanki on the morning of March 6. He is not considered a suspect and is not under criminal investigation.
Dominican media outlet Noticias SIN obtained court documents of Riibe’s statement to prosecutors on March 14. KELOLAND News has translated parts of the statement.
Riibe tried to save Konanki from drowning, he told prosecutors.
According to court documents, Riibe and Konanki were waist deep in the water when a big wave hit them, dragging them out to sea.
“As soon as we were able to get to the surface, we tried to call for help, but there was no one. I was getting tired, I realized that she was also getting tired of swimming,” Riibe said. “I grabbed her and pulled her out of the water. I held her under my arm and swam to get her out of the water.”
The two eventually emerged from the water when Riibe said Konanki was still struggling in the shallow water. He asked if she was okay, but didn’t hear the answer because he started throwing up sea water.
“The last time I saw her, I asked if she was okay,” Riibe said.
“After vomiting, I looked around and didn’t see anyone. I thought she had grabbed her things and left,” he said.
The court documents say Riibe then fell asleep while trying to get up and leave the beach and woke up in the sun with his shoes and room key stolen.
Prosecutors asked questions regarding what he thought happened to Konanki, what he told his friends after the incident, whether he reported it to hotel authorities and if Konanki made any gestures or “cried out while she was in the sea.”
Riibe responded with, “My lawyers advise me not to answer that question, and I’m adhering to them.”
Konanki, 20, is a junior at the University of Pittsburgh and was on spring break with her friends in Punta Cana at a resort. Surveillance video showed her and five other University of Pittsburgh students, along with Riibe who traveled there separately, heading to the beach around 5 a.m.
Riibe graduated from Central Lyon High School in Rock Rapids, Iowa in 2021. He is a senior at St. Cloud State University studying land surveying and mapping sciences.
