The search for a US college student who went missing in the Dominican Republic intensified on Monday after a man questioned by authorities visited the beach where she was last seen and spoke with officials.
Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old student at the University of Pittsburgh and an Indian citizen, vanished before dawn on March 6 in the resort town of Punta Cana. Authorities are scouring waters in case she drowned.
Minnesota student Joshua Riibe has not been named as a suspect but is believed to be the last person to see her.
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On Sunday, he and his attorney met with officials on the beach.
On Monday, Riibe’s attorney officially requested his release.
A judge is expected to issue a ruling on Tuesday, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share the information.
According to the transcript of an interview with prosecutors, reported by Dominican media as well as NBC and Telemundo, Riibe told police he was drinking with Konanki on the beach and they were kissing in waist-deep water when they were pulled out to sea by a strong tide.
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Riibe said he was a former lifeguard and swam her into shore.
He told investigators he vomited upon reaching the beach and that Konanki said she was going to fetch her things.
When he looked up, she was gone. He said he was later surprised to hear of her disappearance.
Riibe’s parents have accused Dominican officials of detaining him “under irregular conditions” without translators or legal counsel, saying he has been confined to a hotel room with police surveillance for more than a week.
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They said Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud University, has been repeatedly taken to the police station and interrogated, adding that he has “fully cooperated” with police.
The statement on Friday by Albert and Tine Riibe provided no details about Konanki’s disappearance or their son’s connection to her.
His parents said the family has retained a lawyer to ensure his rights are protected.
Dominican public prosecutors have not responded to the statement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is also investigating Konanki’s disappearance.
‘Ambitious’ student
Family members describe Konanki as a bright, ambitious student who plans to become a doctor.
“My daughter is a very nice girl,” her father, Subbarayudu Konanki, told CNN. “She’s ambitious. She wanted to pursue a career in medicine.”
She was visiting Punta Cana for spring break ahead of premed studies, her father said.
Originally from India, the Konanki family has been in the US since 2006 and are permanent residents living in Loudoun County, Virginia.
Those in her hometown are praying for her safe return.
“It’s already four days and everybody’s so worried,” family friend Shekar Pendem, who has known Konanki since she was 3 years old, said in an interview with CNN affiliate WUSA.
US Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, whose district includes Loudoun County, described Konanki’s disappearance as “the worst nightmare.”
“I’ve got two daughters, and I just think about a scenario like this happening to them,” he said in an interview with WUSA. “It’s, you know, really heartbreaking.”
Konanki arrived in the Dominican Republic on March 3 with five other female students from the University of Pittsburgh, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.
-with CNN
