Sudiksha Konanki cops reveal tragic ‘reason’ student’s body hasn’t been found yet despite being ‘saved’ by Josh Riibe
THE student who vanished on a Spring Break trip to the Dominican Republic may have not been found yet for a tragic reason.
It comes as the last person to see her, fellow spring breaker Josh Riibe, insisted he saved her from drowning in the ocean – but she hasn’t been seen since.
Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old US resident, disappeared in the early morning hours of March 6 in the Dominican Republic during a Punta Cana spring break trip with her friends.
Before she vanished, the University of Pittsburgh student was at the beach alone with Riibe, a 22-year-old St. Clouds University student from Iowa.
Riibe told police they talked and kissed in waist-deep water before he saved Konanki from drowning.
“A big wave came and hit us both. And when the water returned, it swept us out to sea,” Riibe told police, according to a transcript of his interview obtained by Dominican news service Noticias SIN.
Riibe, who said he had experience as a lifeguard, told police it took him a long time to get Konanki out of the water.
But he was able to drag her until she was “knee-deep and walking at an angle out of the water.”
It’s still unclear what happened to Konanki after that as Riibe said he called out for her but didn’t hear a response.
He said he then got sick, throwing up ocean water he swallowed during the rescue, and passed out on a beach chair.
“After vomiting, I looked around. I didn’t see anyone. I thought she had grabbed her things and left,” he told police.
Dominican authorities quickly suspected that she’d drowned.
Vice Admiral Agustín Morillo Rodríguez, the commander of the Dominican Navy, told Noticias SIN Konanki’s body may not have surfaced yet because she could be stuck in coral reefs offshore.
“The body may be stranded on the reefs, on the coral reefs, which is why the Navy has deployed a team of Navy and local divers to comb the entire area where there are reefs or corals,” he said.
Rodríguez added, “So far, unfortunately, we have not been able to find the young woman.”
The Navy commander then painted a gruesome image of what could have happened to Konanki’s body.
“When a person drowns, they lose air from their lungs and fill with water, then the body sinks,” he said.
Rodríguez continued, “After 72 hours, the body begins to decompose, the organs begin to decompose and fill with gas, then the body begins to float.”
He said the process lasts 36 hours to a week.
As the search for Konanki progressed, DR authorities said they weren’t ruling out foul play.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in Konanki’s hometown in Virginia told The U.S. Sun they consider Riibe a person of interest because he may have been the last person to have seen Konanki.
But, the sheriff’s office emphasized that Riibe has not been charged in the case and is not considered a suspect.
The investigation remains a missing person case.
KONANKI’S FINAL NIGHT BEFORE VANISHING
Konanki was staying at the Riu República Hotel, a five-star adults only resort, with five of her female friends before she went missing.
Venmo transactions viewed by The U.S. Sun showed Konanki made two payments on March 5 hours before her disappearance.
One transaction shortly before 3 pm was just described using a sailboat emoji, which may mean she was slated to go out on an excursion on a boat.
Timeline of Sudiskha Konanki's disappearance
SUDISHKA Konanki, 20, disappeared during a spring break trip to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.
Here’s a timeline of her last known movements.
- On March 6 at 3 am, Konanki and her five friends were seen dancing at Riu Republica Resort’s disco
- At around 4 am, surveillance captured the group leaving the resort with Joshua Steven Riibe, a 22-year-old from Iowa who they met on the trip
- At around 5:50 am, Konanki’s friends left the beach and headed home, but the now-missing student and Ribe stayed
- Riibe told cops that he passed out drunk on the beach at some point after that, and when he woke up, Konanki was gone
- Konanki was reported missing at 4 pm later that evening by her friends
The other transaction made just before 3:38 pm was captioned Coco Bongo, a popular nightclub and show venue in Punta Cana.
At around 4:15 am on March 6, Konanki was seen on surveillance video with a group of people as they walked toward the beach near their resort—where Konanki was last seen.
Five women and one man were seen on video leaving the beach shortly before 5 am as Konanki and Riibe stayed behind.
Riibe was seen on video leaving the beach and returning to the resort shortly before 9 am.
EIGHT QUESTIONS RIIBE REFUSED TO ANSWER
There were eight questions from local police that Riibe refused to answer and instead said, “My lawyers advise me not to answer that question and I follow their advice,” according to the interview transcript from Noticias SIN.
One of the questions he refused to answer was whether Konanki knew how to swim.
He was also asked if the college student made any gestures or cries while she was swimming.
Authorities inquired about whether Riibe told authorities, hotel staff, or his friend what happened to him and Konanki at the beach.
Riibe also refused to answer when police asked him what he told his friend when he asked about Konanki.
He was also asked more general questions about the case like how he feels about the situation, what he thinks about Konanki’s disappearance, and how police can verify that everything he has said is truthful.
‘A LOT OF SADNESS AND PAIN’
Riibe’s family asked for privacy during this “very difficult time.”
“At this point in time, our family is going through a very difficult time right now, and we’re experiencing a lot of sadness and pain,” the Riibe family said in a statement, per Fox News.
“We kindly ask for privacy as we navigate this challenging moment together…We appreciate your cooperation and understanding,” they added.
Early on in the search, they urged rescuers to ramp up efforts and shared fears she may have been kidnapped.
As of Friday, the family was still desperately waiting for answers.