THE man last seen with missing student Sudiksha Konanki has opened up on a conversation he had with her distraught mother.
Konanki, 20, vanished without a trace after she was last seen on the beach with fellow college student Joshua Riibe, 22, in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on March 6.
Joshua Riibe in court on TuesdayFox 5 Student Sudiksha Konanki has been missing since March 6FacebookRiibe, a senior at St. Cloud State University, was named a person of interest in the case, but was never charged with a crime.
In a court hearing on Tuesday in which the judge ruled he was free to leave the Dominican Republic, he opened up on a conversation he had with Sudiksha’s mom Sreedevi.
Riibe said he was hugged by Sreedevi before she and her husband left the Riu República hotel, as reported by The Mail.
“Before the family of Sudiksha left the hotel they came up and they gave me hugs and the mother even said thank you very much for helping save my daughter the first time,” he said in court.
Riibe was banned from leaving the hotel during the probe and has opened up on the experience.
“Ever since the day I lost my phone and passport I have been solemnly alone,” he said.
Riibe revealed he wanted to return to the US ever since his passport was seized.
“Ever since the day I lost my phone and passport I have been solemnly alone,” he said.
He claimed that he’s not spent an hour outside the hotel resort in the past 12 days.
He is due to appear in court again on March 28.
Dominican Republic cops suspect that Konanki drowned and her parents want the authorities to legally declare her dead.
In a letter seen by The U.S. Sun, they said: “Initiating this process will allow our family to begin the grieving process and address matters related to her absence.
“While no declaration can truly ease our grief, we trust that this step will bring some closure and enable us to honor her memory.”
But, part of the search effort focused on coral reefs, as per the local outlet Noticias Sin.
Officials have also tried to paint a picture on what may have happened to Konanki’s body.
Vice Admiral Agustín Morillo Rodríguez, the commander of the Dominican Navy, explained a body starts to decompose after 72 hours following a drowning incident.
“The organs begin to decompose and fill with gas, then the body begins to float,” he told Noticias.
Riibe told investigators that he and Konanki were hit by a big wave.
Riibe, a former lifeguard, said it took him a while to get her body out of the water.
He revealed that he swallowed seawater, which made him vomit when he was back on the sand.
“I could have lost consciousness several times,” he said.
Riibe revealed he passed out on the beach and thought Konanki left on her own accord.
Rodríguez told CNN last week conditions were dangerous on the day Konanki vanished.
FacebookRiibe was confined to the hotel resort during the probe and had his passport seized[/caption] Sudiksha’s parents have requested officials to legally declare her deadNoticias Telemicro Konanki was with her five female friends before she disappearedTikTok/sudikshakonanki Cops used drones as part of the search probeReutersCops also turned to drones and K9s in a desperate bid to find Konanki.
But, officials did find clothes belonging to the student as they try to piece together any evidence.
They found a white sarong which was draped over a beach chair, and her flip flops on the sand.
Konanki vanished three days after arriving in the Dominican Republic.
She was on the island celebrating spring break with five female pals.
Officials released a timeline that documented her movements in the hours before she vanished.
She and Riibe were seen walking to the beach at around 4:15am on the morning of March 6.
They were with five other women and another man.
Surveillance footage from around 10 minutes showed her vomiting by a bar in the hotel.
At around 4:55am, five women and a man were seen returning to the hotel.
Konanki and Riibe were still at the beach.
Riibe returned to the hotel around 8:55am and Konanki was reported missing by her friends at around 4pm that afternoon.
The Konanki's letter to officials in the Dominican Republic
THE parents of missing college student Sudiksha Konanki have requested cops to legally declare her dead.
The letter, seen by The U.S. Sun, reads:
“We, Subbarayudu Konanki and SreeDevi Konanki, the parents of Sudiksha Konanki, respectfully request the legal declaration of our beloved daughter’s death.
“Sudiksha, a 20-year-old student at the University of Pittsburgh, tragically went missing on March 6, 2025, during a spring break trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
“Following an extensive search, Dominican authorities have concluded that Sudiksha is believed to have drowned.
“Her clothes were discovered on a beach near where she was last seen.
“The individual last seen with her is cooperating with the investigation, and no evidence of foul play has been found.
“Given these circumstances, and after much deliberation, we request that the police department proceed with the legal declaration of her death.
“We understand that certain legal procedures must be followed and are prepared to comply with any necessary formalities or documentation.
“Initiating this process will allow our family to begin the grieving process and address matters related to her absence.
“While no declaration can truly ease our grief, we trust that this step will bring some closure and enable us to honor her memory.”
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