Dominican attorney general grills witness in missing American case at his resort in person

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic – The apical authoritative successful the Dominican Republic interviewed Iowa 22-year-old Joshua Riibe astatine his edifice successful Punta Cana for hours Saturday, personally questioning the lone publically known eyewitness successful the disappearance of Virginia 20-year-old Sudiksha Konanki.

Yeni Berenice Reynoso, the Dominican lawyer general, grilled Riibe successful idiosyncratic to wrapper up a week that included aggregate interviews with detectives from respective agencies, including La Policia Nacional, the country's constabulary force, and detectives from Loudoun County, Virginia, Konanki's hometown.

Reynoso's bureau did not respond to aggregate requests for comment. Both Riibe and Reynoso's entourage were seen coming and going from a country successful the Riu Republica edifice for hours Saturday evening, and his lawyers aboriginal confirmed helium was being questioned by the AG herself. 

While Riibe has not been named a suspect, nor has immoderate transgression been alleged, authorities person described him arsenic a "key element" successful the missing idiosyncratic investigation. He has been joined successful the state by his parents. Riibe, Konanki and their friends were staying astatine the edifice for outpouring break.

MISSING AMERICAN IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: NO SUSPECTS AS SEARCH FOR SUDIKSHA KONANKI REACHES ONE WEEK

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

Riibe's parents connected Friday said helium had been subjected to "irregular treatment" for much than a week.

"Despite his afloat willingness to cooperate, Josh has been detained nether irregular conditions and subjected to extended questioning without the beingness of authoritative translators oregon ineligible counsel until Wednesday, March 12," his parents, Albert and Tina Riibe, said done their attorneys.

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U.S. assemblage pupil Sudiksha Konanki went missing portion connected abrogation with her friends successful Punta Cana connected March 6. (Fox News Graphics)

"He has remained successful his edifice country nether constabulary surveillance and has been repeatedly taken to the constabulary presumption since March 6, wherever helium has been interrogated for agelong hours. This concern has raised superior interest wrong his family, which has led america to clasp ineligible counsel to initiate ineligible actions ensuring his information and the extortion of his rights passim this process," they said.

Authorities besides revealed Saturday that Riibe's passport has been confiscated.

MISSING AMERICAN IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: NO SUSPECTS AS SEARCH FOR SUDIKSHA KONANKI REACHES ONE WEEK

The constabulary presumption successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Kirill Clark)

Konanki was past seen entering the formation down the edifice with a radical that included her pistillate friends from the University of Pittsburgh, arsenic good arsenic 2 men, 1 of whom has been identified arsenic Riibe, a elder astatine St. Cloud State University successful Minnesota.

Dominican law, akin to that successful the U.S., requires detained radical to beryllium released wrong 48 hours if they are not charged. 

A State Department spokesperson said U.S. authorities were alert of the situation, but could not remark connected specifics owed to "privacy and different considerations."

"The Department has nary higher precedence than the information and information of U.S. citizens abroad," the spokesperson said.

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A root adjacent to the probe told Fox News Digital connected Friday that Riibe remains a "key element" successful the probe who would look "intensified" questioning. The root said authorities are besides taking a person look astatine telephone records from Konanki and different witnesses, including the radical she was seen with entering the formation earlier she vanished.

People connected the formation astatine the Riu República edifice successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic connected Friday. (Fox News Digital)

Konanki, Riibe and their friends were seen entering the formation down the Riu Republica five-star edifice astir 4:15 a.m. connected March 6. All of them but Konanki returned.

Six of them were seen leaving the formation astir 6 a.m. Riibe returned unsocial conscionable earlier 10 a.m. Konanki was reported missing by her friends astatine 4 p.m. that time and remains missing.

UNPREDICTABLE OCEAN CURRENTS, BEACHFRONT POSE MAJOR SEARCH CHALLENGE

A drone flies overhead arsenic section authorities hunt for missing assemblage pupil Sudiksha Konanki successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

Riibe, according to a leaked transcript of 1 of his constabulary interviews obtained by Fox News, told constabulary that helium and Konanki were struck by a beardown question and swept offshore. They battled the current, and helium brought her backmost to land. Then helium said helium past saw her walking distant successful knee-deep h2o toward her belongings, arsenic helium threw up and past fell dormant connected a formation chair

When helium woke up, she was gone, helium said. 

The aforesaid edifice saw 4 European tourists drown successful 1 incidental successful January. Their remains were each recovered wrong 48 hours.

Local authorities hunt for Sudiksha Konanki successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Friday. (Fox News Digital)

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The hunt for Konanki has expanded up the coastline, involving hundreds of personnel, helicopters, planes, boats, dive teams, K9s and drones, including caller AI-equipped models.

"Above all, we privation to lend to the hunt efforts and recognize the anguish and uncertainty they are going through, and we stock the anticipation that Sudiksha volition beryllium recovered arsenic soon arsenic possible," Riibe's parents said Friday. "Joshua Riibe is profoundly dismayed by her disappearance and has afloat cooperated successful the hunt and clarification of the facts from the precise beginning."