22-year old US student Joshua Steven Riibe left the Riu Republica on the same day of the court hearing that cleared him from police surveillance at the hotel room the Attorney General Office was paying for him to continue staying at the Riu Republica. Riibe was investigated in the case of missing 20-year old Indian student Sudiskha Konanki. The court, nevertheless, did not order the Dominican authorities to return his passport and cell phone.
In Santo Domingo, Riibe received an emergency passport from the US Consulate and traveled on 20 March 2025 back to the United States via Puerto Rico. He is from Rock Rapids, Iowa. He studies land surveying at the St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.
Riibe had arrived to Punta Cana for a spring break vacation on 1 March. On 6 March, he became the last person to be with the Indian tourist Sudiksha Konanki, here with five friends also for spring break. They would go swimming shortly before 5am on the dawn of that day. He would report that a wave swept them and he survived. He says he helped Konanki to get to shore, but her whereabouts are not known as of this day. What is known is that both that evening had been heavily drinking, it was dark and the beach had a red flag for no swimming.
The case became headline news around the world and subject of updates on US primetime newscasts.
At the hotel, Dominican and US investigators interviewed him several times trying to find answers that led to the whereabouts of missing 20-year old. Konanki’s parents had called for a widening of the investigation beyond the search at sea. Riibe was never arrested, but was subject to 24/7 surveillance in the resort. He turned in his cell phone for the investigations.
The case was investigated by detectives from the county in Virginia state where the Indian woman has residency and by agents from the US FBI in addition to local prosecutors.
Noticias SIN reported that upon Riibe’s arrival to the San Juan International Airport, Riibe was interrogated by the Homeland Security police officials. As reported, the HSI Police staff questioned that his emergency passport did not have the stamp of his entry to the Dominican Republic.
Read more in Spanish:
Noticias SIN
CBS
Noticias SIN
Noticias SIN
20 March 2025