American consulate in Dominican Republic offering help to Iowa man held in missing student case

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic – The State Department connected Tuesday confirmed to Fox News Digital it is assisting a witnesser successful University of Pittsburgh pupil Sudiksha Konanki's March 6 disappearance from the Dominican Republic.

Konanki, 20, has been missing since the aboriginal greeting hours of March 6, erstwhile she went swimming successful the water with the witness, identified arsenic 22-year-old Joshua Riibe of Iowa, extracurricular the RIU Republica edifice successful Punta Cana aft drinking astatine a edifice bar. She has yet to beryllium located.

"We instrumentality earnestly our committedness to assistance U.S. citizens overseas and are providing consular assistance," the State Department said successful a connection erstwhile asked astir Riibe's Monday filing of a writ of habeas corpus. "Due to privateness considerations, we person nary further comment."

Konanki had gone to the formation with a radical of 7 different friends aft a nighttime of drinking. Six of her friends returned to the RIU Republica astir 6 a.m., leaving the 20-year-old pupil unsocial with Riibe, who was besides connected outpouring interruption astatine the RIU Republica and is believed to beryllium 1 of the past radical to spot her alive.

KEY WITNESS IN AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT'S DISAPPEARANCE TELLS POLICE HOW THEY MET, WHAT HAPPENED ON BEACH

Sudiksha Konanki, 20, from bluish Virginia, was archetypal reported missing connected Thursday, March 6, aft disappearing from a formation successful the Dominican Republic.  (Handout, left, and Defensa Civil Dominicana, right.)

Riibe, who is considered a witnesser successful Konanki's disappearance, seemingly told Dominican authorities that portion they were swimming, a ample question crashed implicit them, according to a translated transcript of his interrogation to constabulary shared with Fox News. 

He said helium tried to assistance her and past saw her wading done knee-deep water. He past began vomiting up seawater and noticed that Konanki was nary longer successful show and assumed she had returned to her edifice room. Riibe said helium fell dormant successful a formation seat earlier yet returning to his room. 

HOTEL HORROR STORIES EMERGE AFTER AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT GOES MISSING AS RESORT INSISTS NO CONNECTION

Local authorities hunt for missing US pupil Sudiksha Konanki successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Friday, March 14, 2025. Konanki, 20, was past seen connected a formation extracurricular the five-star RIU Republica Resort successful the Dominican Republic connected March 6, 2025. (Fox News Digital)

Hotel surveillance footage shows Riibe returning to his edifice country astir 9 a.m. connected March 6.

Riibe has been detained successful the Dominican since past and filed a writ of habeas corpus connected Monday, challenging his de facto detention successful the country. He is expected to person a proceeding Tuesday successful which a justice volition regularisation connected whether helium tin instrumentality home, sources said.

Konanki's parents, Subbarayudu and SreeDevi Konanki, are not disputing Riibe's relationship of what happened, according to a missive they sent to Dominican constabulary connected Monday. Her begetter had antecedently asked constabulary to analyse each possibilities.

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Local authorities hunt for missing US pupil Sudiksha Konanki successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was past seen connected a formation extracurricular the five-star RIU Republica Resort successful the Dominican Republic connected March 6, 2025. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

"Following an extended search, Dominican authorities person concluded that Sudiksha is believed to person drowned," her parents wrote successful a missive to La Policia Nacional, the country's nationalist constabulary force, Monday night. "Her apparel were discovered connected a formation adjacent wherever she was past seen. The idiosyncratic past seen with her is cooperating with the investigation, and nary grounds of foul play has been found."

They said they made the petition aft "much deliberation" and thanked supporters for the planetary hunt effort.

MISSING AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT SEEN IN NEW HOTEL SECURITY FOOTAGE BEFORE DISAPPEARANCE

Investigators person expanded the hunt country arsenic American assemblage pupil Sudiksha Konanki remains missing aft she vanished from a formation successful Punta Cana connected March 6, 2025.  (Fox News Graphics )

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office successful Virginia, wherever Konanki is from, issued a connection sharing her family's content that she drowned.

"While a last determination to marque specified a declaration rests with authorities successful the Dominican Republic, we volition enactment the Konanki household successful each mode imaginable arsenic we proceed to reappraisal the grounds and accusation made disposable to america successful the people of this investigation," the sheriff's bureau said.

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Riibe, a elder astatine St. Cloud State University successful Minnesota who has not been accused of a transgression but is considered a important witnesser successful the case, has been held nether surveillance astatine the edifice since Konanki was reported missing.

Beach loungers beryllium connected the soil by the oversea astatine the RIU Republica Resort successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was past seen connected March 6 connected a formation extracurricular the five-star RIU Republica Resort successful the Dominican Republic. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

His household has called his continued required beingness successful the state "irregular."

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Riibe is not accused of a crime, but authorities confiscated his passport portion investigating his relationship of what happened.

A proceeding connected the habeas petition is expected to beryllium held Tuesday afternoon, sources said, but the timing could change.