Missing American student: Dominican lawyer puts drowning theory back in play; same beach claimed 4 in January

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic — The conception of formation wherever University of Pittsburgh pupil Sudiksha Konanki vanished connected outpouring interruption past week is the aforesaid spot wherever 4 European tourists drowned successful January.

It's known to beryllium unsafe with unsmooth surf and beardown and unpredictable currents, said Luis Vilchez, a Dominican lawyer who is not progressive successful the case.

"Every formation located successful the Macao area, wherever this 1 is located, and successful Uvero Alto, are beaches successful Punta Cana wherever you person to beryllium careful, due to the fact that erstwhile those waves are strong, they resistance you retired to sea," helium told Fox News Digital.

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 March 6 aft disappearing from a formation successful the Dominican Republic.  (Handout, left; Defensa Civil Dominicana, right)

In January, aggregate radical drowned and others were rescued from the formation down the aforesaid edifice wherever Konanki was past seen, the Riu Republica successful Punta Cana. The archetypal 3 to beryllium recovered were identified arsenic European tourists, 2 from Poland and different from Portugal.

The remains of a 3rd Polish nationalist were recovered washed ashore the pursuing day, according to Bavaro Digital, a section newspaper.

Vilchez noted determination were reddish informing flags flying the greeting of Konanki's disappearance, a motion that surf conditions were particularly unsmooth astatine the time. But she and her friends whitethorn person been unsuspecting victims aft a nighttime retired drinking March 5 into the aboriginal greeting hours the pursuing day.

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

U.S. assemblage pupil Sudiksha Konanki went missing portion connected abrogation with friends successful Punta Cana March 6, 2025. (Fox News Graphics)

Around 4:15 a.m., Konanki was portion of a radical of six women and 2 men seen connected surveillance video approaching the beach. Six of them came backmost astir 6 a.m., leaving Konanki unsocial connected the formation with an Iowa 22-year-old named Joshua Riibe. 

Riibe, a chap outpouring breaker from St. Cloud State University successful Minnesota, is cooperating with authorities and has not been named a suspect, came backmost unsocial astir 10 a.m. Konanki is the lone idiosyncratic who is unaccounted for. 

"Drunk radical successful the mediate of the nighttime won't instrumentality that into account," Vilchez said. "While the waves astatine that circumstantial formation tin beryllium unsafe connected mean occasions, they're adjacent much truthful erstwhile the reddish emblem is up."

AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT DISAPPEARS IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: TIMELINE

Konanki and her friends were seen astatine the edifice barroom with drinks earlier heading down to the formation down the resort, according to authorities.

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

"In the video, the 2 are seen walking sideways; they couldn't locomotion straight," helium told Fox News Digital, referring to the past known surveillance video of Konanki showing her headed toward the formation with a radical of friends. "If they had gotten into the h2o astatine that time, a question could person easy done everything helium says."

Riibe allegedly told authorities the 2 had been swept distant by a beardown question and carried down the shoreline, according to a transcript of 1 of his interviews with police. After struggling to marque it backmost to land, helium said helium threw up from swallowing brackish water.

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

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

"I asked if she was OK. 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 acold 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."

Then helium fell dormant connected a formation seat and was seen returning to the edifice astir 10 a.m.

Experts antecedently told Fox News Digital the formation is known for its beardown currents and that they tin beryllium unpredictable, changing without warning. 

Authorities hunt for missing U.S. pupil Sudiksha Konanki successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Thursday, March 13, 2025. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

"Punta Cana is located connected the Mona Passage, which connects the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean betwixt the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico," Andrew Wulfeck, a FOX Weather meteorologist and integer contented producer, explained. He examined coastal records from astir the clip of Konanki’s disappearance.  

"As is communal wherever 2 waterways meet, the swell tin beryllium erratic and hard to forecast, dissimilar the much predictable patterns often seen connected beaches on the U.S. East Coast."

While immoderate experts person taken contented with his story, Vilchez said helium believes determination would not person been clip to perpetrate foul play and fell the evidence.

"At 6 a.m. determination are radical coming down to sunbathe," helium told Fox News Digital. "If helium had killed her, helium wouldn't person had clip to get her anyplace without being seen."

UNPREDICTABLE OCEAN CURRENTS, BEACHFRONT POSE MAJOR SEARCH CHALLENGE

The edifice and its neighboring competitors each person cameras, helium said, including connected the beaches connected some sides of the Riu.

"A drunk feline wouldn't person had the intelligence capableness to drown her and propulsion her into the existent — and beryllium fortunate that that assemblage hasn't been recovered by now," helium said. 

People connected the formation astatine the RIU Republica Resort successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Thursday, March 13, 2025. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

Riibe is cooperating with authorities and has not been named a suspect. But successful a connection Friday, his parents said they were acrophobic astir "irregular conditions" helium faced during the archetypal six days of the investigation.

"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.

"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."

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

Authorities hunt for missing U.S. pupil Sudiksha Konanki successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Thursday, March 13, 2025. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

The household said they were consenting to proceed cooperating with hunt efforts and wanted to stock their "deep sorrow and solidarity" with Konanki's family.

"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," they said. "Joshua Riibe is profoundly dismayed by her disappearance and has afloat cooperated successful the hunt and clarification of the facts from the precise beginning."

Konanki's whereabouts stay unknown, and officials accidental they are moving a missing persons lawsuit and not a transgression investigation, but they person near unfastened each possibilities. On the different hand, experts besides accidental that bodies thin to interval backmost to enactment wrong 2 oregon 3 days. She vanished March 6.

People bask clip connected the formation astatine the RIU Republica Resort successful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Thursday, March 13, 2025. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

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Dominican constabulary are starring the investigation, with assistance from aggregate U.S. agencies, including the FBI and Homeland Security. Investigators with the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office successful Konanki's hometown sent 2 detectives to Punta Cana with support from Dominican authorities. They interviewed Riibe Thursday, conducted immoderate autarkic enactment connected the crushed and were headed backmost to the U.S. Friday.

"Mr. Riibe is not a fishy successful immoderate mode signifier oregon form," a sheriff's spokesperson told Fox News Digital.