Key witness in American college student's disappearance tells police how they met, what happened on beach

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic – A cardinal witnesser successful transportation with American assemblage pupil Sudiksha Konanki's disappearance told Dominican Republic constabulary that helium and the 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh pupil were swimming erstwhile a large question deed them, and they were swept away, according to a translation of a transcript shared with Fox News. 

Joshua Riibe of Iowa completed a astir four-hour interrogation connected Wednesday with Dominican Republic constabulary arsenic a witnesser successful transportation with Konanki's disappearance and answered much than 50 questions astir what happened earlier she vanished connected March 6. Riibe is being considered by Dominican authorities arsenic a witnesser successful the case, not arsenic a idiosyncratic of involvement oregon suspect. 

Riibe allegedly refused to reply 8 questions, including his thoughts connected the disappearance and wherefore helium did not archer the edifice oregon authorities astir the incident. Police person said determination are nary suspects and this is simply a missing idiosyncratic case, not a transgression case. Riibe, 24, told constabulary that helium met Konanki that night, arsenic they were some staying astatine the RIU Republica edifice for outpouring break.

Riibe's lawyer, Beatriz Santana, declined to remark connected the lawsuit oregon her client’s interviews with police. Riibe's household besides issued a statement, saying, "At this constituent successful time, Our Family is going done a precise hard clip close now, and we're experiencing a batch of sadness and pain. We kindly inquire for privateness arsenic we navigate this challenging infinitesimal together... We admit your practice and understanding."

AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT DISAPPEARS IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: TIMELINE

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.)

"At this constituent successful time, Our Family is going done a precise hard clip close now, and we're experiencing a batch of sadness and pain. We kindly inquire for privateness arsenic we navigate this challenging infinitesimal together... We admit your practice and understanding."

In the aboriginal greeting hours of March 6, they walked from a edifice barroom to the formation extracurricular the RIU Republica. Konanki had arrived successful Punta Cana connected March 3 and had been staying determination with 5 different pistillate friends from the University of Pittsburgh. Riibe arrived connected March 1.

"On the mode to the beach, she was giving maine tiny kisses connected the face," Riibe told police, according to a translated transcript. 

On the beach, helium and Konanki went successful the h2o portion 2 of her pistillate friends stayed ashore. Riibe and Konanki were talking erstwhile a "big wave" deed them, Riibe said. There was a red-flag informing connected the formation astatine the time, indicating a informing for radical not to spell swimming successful unsmooth surf.

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

People bask clip connected the formation 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)

"[W]ith the water’s pullback, it dragged america further into the sea," helium said. "As soon arsenic we surfaced, we tried to telephone for help, but nary 1 was there."

When asked what happened next, Riibe said helium was "getting tired" and "realized she was besides getting bushed of swimming."

"I person been a lifeguard, truthful I grabbed her and started pulling her out. I was holding her nether the limb and swimming to get her retired of the water."

"It took maine a agelong clip to get her out. It was difficult," Riibe continued. "I was a lifeguard successful a pool, not successful the ocean. I was trying to support her breathing the full time, which didn’t let maine to respire properly, and I swallowed a batch of water. I could person mislaid consciousness astatine immoderate point. When I yet touched the soil connected the shore, I enactment her successful beforehand of me. Then she went to cod her belongings due to the fact that the water had moved them."

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)

Riibe said Konanki was walking "knee-deep" successful the h2o erstwhile helium past saw her.

"I asked if she was okay. I didn’t perceive her effect due to the fact that I started vomiting each the seawater I had swallowed," Riibe said. "After vomiting, I looked astir and didn’t spot anyone. I thought she had grabbed her things and left. I felt truly atrocious and exhausted. I laic down connected a formation chair, fell dormant due to the fact that I couldn’t spell precise far, and aboriginal woke up due to the fact that of the prima and mosquito bites. I went to my friend’s country to get my phone, past went to my ain country to sleep."

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, 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)

Riibe besides told constabulary helium "expected to spot her the adjacent day" and thought helium would "run into her astir the area."

"After I saw her walking distant successful the water, I ne'er saw her again."

Riibe said helium was sleeping successful his country erstwhile his person asked him if helium had seen Konanki, to which Riibe replied no.

AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT MISSING IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC DIDN’T DROWN, NATALEE HOLLOWAY PRIVATE EYE BELIEVES 

Sudiksha Konanki successful a Facebook selfie photo. The 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh inferior has been missing since March 6, erstwhile she vanished during a outpouring interruption travel to a five-star edifice successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Sudiksha Konanki/Facebook)

"I thought she had gone to her room. Her friends texted my person since helium had 1 of their numbers," Riibe said.

The Iowa antheral said his friends went to the formation the adjacent time and recovered his "belongings" due to the fact that helium "never picked them up," different than a brace of shoes and a country cardinal that helium said "someone had stolen."

Exterior presumption of a constabulary presumption astatine Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Kirill Clark)

Riibe told constabulary helium had been drinking vodka with 7Up and tequila shots, adding that the radical of women helium had been with purchased "pink tequila shots" that they drank arsenic a group.

He did not reply 8 questions connected the proposal of his attorneys, according to the transcript, including the following: 

1. How tin we verify that everything you person said is true?

2. What did you archer your person erstwhile helium asked astir the missing girl, Konanki-Sudiksha?

3. What bash you deliberation astir Sudiksha’s disappearance?

4. Did Sudiksha cognize however to aquatics oregon not?

5. Do you retrieve if Sudiksha made immoderate gestures oregon screamed portion successful the sea?

6. Did you pass the authorities oregon the edifice astir what happened with you and the miss connected the beach?

7. Did you archer your person what happened betwixt you and the miss connected the beach?

8. How bash you consciousness astir this situation?

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)

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office successful Virginia, wherever Konanki lives, has said Riibe "is not a idiosyncratic of involvement nor a fishy for purposes of a transgression investigation. This was initiated arsenic and is inactive a missing idiosyncratic investigation, and for that intent helium is simply a idiosyncratic of involvement to our agency."

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office told Fox News Digital connected Friday it spoke with Riibe connected Thursday.

"Detectives from the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) conducted an extended interrogation with Mr. Joshua Riibe connected Thursday afternoon, March 13, 2025. His begetter and lawyer accompanied Mr. Riibe, and helium was cooperative. The hunt and probe by the Dominican National Police are continuing. The LCSO does not program to person immoderate further updates today," a spokesperson said. 

Riibe's household said successful a statement: "At this constituent successful time, Our Family is going done a precise hard clip close now, and we're experiencing a batch of sadness and pain. We kindly inquire for privateness arsenic we navigate this challenging infinitesimal together... We admit your practice and understanding."

Military unit hunt for Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh pupil from the U.S. who disappeared connected a formation successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Monday, March 10, 2025.  (AP Photo/Francesco Spotorno)

In January, 4 tourists drowned adjacent Punta Cana, erstwhile a reddish emblem warned of beardown currents and unsmooth seas, according to The Associated Press.

Konanki was past seen connected surveillance footage walking from RIU Republica to the formation with 7 different people, including 5 females and 2 males, astir 4:15 a.m. connected March 6. She was past seen connected the formation astir 4:50 a.m., according to the Dominican Republic prosecutor's bureau and the hotel.

Hotel surveillance footage past shows a radical of six people, including 5 women and 1 man, returning to the edifice from the formation astir 5:55 a.m.

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The young antheral antecedently seen with Konanki is seen connected surveillance footage entering the interior of the edifice astir 9 a.m. connected March 6.

Authorities are asking anyone with accusation to interaction the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office astatine 703-777-1021. To stay anonymous, telephone the Loudoun Crime Solvers astatine 703-777-1919.