Dominican attorney general grills witness in missing American case at his resort in person
PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic – The top prosecutor in the Dominican Republic interviewed Iowa 22-year-old Joshua Riibe at his hotel in Punta Cana for hours Saturday, personally questioning the lone publicly known eyewitness in the disappearance of Virginia 20-year-old Sudiksha Konanki.
Yeni Berenice Reynoso, the Dominican attorney general, grilled Riibe in person to wrap up a week that included multiple interviews with detectives from several agencies, including La Policia Nacional, the country's police force, and detectives from Loudoun County, Virginia, Konanki's hometown.
Reynoso's office did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Both Riibe and Reynoso's entourage were seen coming and going from a room in the Riu Republica hotel for hours Saturday evening, and his lawyers later confirmed he was being questioned by the AG herself.
While Riibe has not been named a suspect, nor has any crime been alleged, authorities have described him as a "key element" in the missing person investigation. He has been joined in the country by his parents. Riibe, Konanki and their friends were staying at the resort for spring break.
MISSING AMERICAN IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: NO SUSPECTS AS SEARCH FOR SUDIKSHA KONANKI REACHES ONE WEEK
Riibe's parents on Friday said he had been subjected to "irregular treatment" for more than a week.
"Despite his full willingness to cooperate, Josh has been detained under irregular conditions and subjected to extensive questioning without the presence of official translators or legal counsel until Wednesday, March 12," his parents, Albert and Tina Riibe, said through their attorneys.
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"He has remained in his hotel room under police surveillance and has been repeatedly taken to the police station since March 6, where he has been interrogated for long hours. This situation has raised serious concern within his family, which has led us to retain legal counsel to initiate legal actions ensuring his safety and the protection of his rights throughout this process," they said.
Authorities also revealed Saturday that Riibe's passport has been confiscated.
MISSING AMERICAN IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: NO SUSPECTS AS SEARCH FOR SUDIKSHA KONANKI REACHES ONE WEEK
Konanki was last seen entering the beach behind the resort with a group that included her female friends from the University of Pittsburgh, as well as two men, one of whom has been identified as Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.
Dominican law, similar to that in the U.S., requires detained people to be released within 48 hours if they are not charged.
A State Department spokesperson said U.S. authorities were aware of the situation, but could not comment on specifics due to "privacy and other considerations."
"The Department has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens abroad," the spokesperson said.
A source close to the investigation told Fox News Digital on Friday that Riibe remains a "key element" in the investigation who would face "intensified" questioning. The source said authorities are also taking a closer look at phone records from Konanki and other witnesses, including the people she was seen with entering the beach before she vanished.
Konanki, Riibe and their friends were seen entering the beach behind the Riu Republica five-star resort around 4:15 a.m. on March 6. All of them except Konanki returned.
Six of them were seen leaving the beach around 6 a.m. Riibe returned alone just before 10 a.m. Konanki was reported missing by her friends at 4 p.m. that day and remains missing.
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Riibe, according to a leaked transcript of one of his police interviews obtained by Fox News, told police that he and Konanki were struck by a strong wave and swept offshore. They battled the current, and he brought her back to land. Then he said he last saw her walking away in knee-deep water toward her belongings, as he threw up and then fell asleep on a beach chair
When he woke up, she was gone, he said.
The same resort saw four European tourists drown in one incident in January. Their remains were all recovered within 48 hours.
The search for Konanki has expanded up the coastline, involving hundreds of personnel, helicopters, planes, boats, dive teams, K9s and drones, including new AI-equipped models.
"Above all, we wish to contribute to the search efforts and understand the anguish and uncertainty they are going through, and we share the hope that Sudiksha will be found as soon as possible," Riibe's parents said Friday. "Joshua Riibe is deeply dismayed by her disappearance and has fully cooperated in the search and clarification of the facts from the very beginning."