Indian American Student Sudiksha Konanki Goes Missing in The Dominican Republic Beach; Search Continues
The search for Indian American student Sudiksha Konanki continues in the Dominican Republic, eleven days after she disappeared near the beach. Investigators are questioning Joshua Riibe, a senior college student with whom she was last seen.
Indian American student Sudiksha Konanki, 20, vanished from a beach in the Dominican Republic on March 6. She was a pre-med student at the University of Pittsburgh and had traveled to the Dominican Republic for a vacation with five friends.
On the evening of March 5, the group of friends went to a nightclub at a resort in Punta Cana to party. New footage from a local outlet shows Sudiksha hanging out at a bar with her friends.
In the footage, Sudiksha and Joshua Riibe, a senior college student from Minnesota, are seen standing outside the resort bar. Joshua appears to be drunk, as he is seen standing with another friend, while Sudiksha is talking to her girlfriend. They were not captured interacting in this footage.
A second video shows Sudiksha Konanki with three of her girlfriends in the lobby of the RIU Hotel & Resort.
Another video footage also shows the couple exiting the place, walking arm in arm, with a group of friends. Sudiksha is seen wearing a white dress with a ponytail.
The group headed to the beach around 4:15 a.m. While most of her friends left by 5:50 a.m., Sudiksha was left alone with Riibe.
Mr. Joshua Riibe told investigators that they were standing in waist-deep water when a powerful wave swept them in. As a certified pool lifeguard, he attempted to hold Sudiksha under his arm and swim her back to shore, but he struggled to stay afloat as he swallowed a significant amount of water.
He managed to bring her to shallower water and noticed her "walking at an angle in the water." He asked if she was alright, but didn’t hear her reply as he started vomiting seawater. Once he regained his composure, he saw that she was gone. He then blacked out again.
Dominican authorities continue the search for Sudiksha Konanki, 11 days after her disappearance. Her clothing was found on the beach. Mr.Riibe is currently being questioned; however, no charges have been filed against him. Authorities have confiscated his passport.
Initially, authorities suggested that Sudiksha may have drowned while swimming at sea; however, they are exploring the case from all angles.
