The last person believed to have seen missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki has reportedly told investigators that he lost sight of her after they both went for an early morning ocean swim and were overcome by an intense wave, which he said he rescued her from.
In an interview with prosecutors in the Dominican Republic where he and Konanki had been vacationing, American Joshua Steven Riibe said he pulled Konanki to shore and last saw her walking in knee-deep water on March 6 before he passed out on the beach, NBC News and CNN reported.
“The last time I saw her, I asked if she was OK. I didn’t hear her answer because I started vomiting up all the seawater I had swallowed,” he reportedly told authorities. “After vomiting, I looked around, and I didn’t see anyone. I thought she had grabbed her things and left.”
Riibe, who said he had experience as a lifeguard, said he fell asleep on a beach chair and woke a couple hours later. He returned to his hotel room alone and was later told by his roommate that Konanki never made it back to hers.
“After I saw her walk away while she was walking in the water, I never saw her again,” he reportedly told authorities.
Konanki, who was visiting the beach for spring break with friends, was seen on surveillance footage walking to the beach in Punta Cana with five women and two men around 4 a.m., the Dominican RepublicNational Police said.
Video obtained by Noticias SIN appears to show Konanki walking with her arm around a man while with the group. Both appear to be staggering.
The group had been drinking in the hotel’s lobby before heading to the beach, CNN reported, citing a source with the Dominican Republic National Police.
Go Ad-Free — And Protect The Free Press
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.
About a half hour later, five women and a man left the beach. Missing from the group was Konanki and one of the men, later identified as Riibe. Riibe was seen leaving the beach alone at 8:55 a.m., People reported.
Riibe has not been named a suspect or charged with any crime in the case, though he has been named a person of interest by the sheriff’s office in Loudoun County, Virginia, where Konanki lives.
