Missing American in Dominican Republic: Key witness asks court to end de facto house arrest
PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic — Attorneys for Iowa 22-year-old Joshua Riibe, the key witness in the mysterious disappearance of University of Pittsburgh spring breaker Sudiksha Konanki, have filed a writ of habeas corpus seeking an end to his de facto house arrest at the resort where she vanished, according to local media.
The search for Konanki entered its 11th day Monday with no signs of her whereabouts.
Riibe, who has not been named a suspect or charged with a crime, spent the entire time at the Riu Republica resort, where he was seen on the same video surveillance as Konanki before she vanished.
Dominican authorities confiscated his passport and have placed him under police surveillance as the search continues by land, air and sea.
Riibe’s attorneys filed a writ of habeas corpus Monday, according to Sin Noticias, a Dominican news outlet. A source confirmed to Fox News Digital the petition has been filed at the courthouse and a hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Riibe, a fellow spring breaker from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, has been cooperating with authorities and has not been named a suspect – but his family took issue with his treatment in a fiery statement Friday.
"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.
"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."
The filing is a challenge to the legality of Riibe’s detention, which his parents called "irregular" in a statement Friday.
Under Dominican law, a person can only be detained for 48 hours without charges, according to the State Department.
Riibe’s attorneys and Dominican prosecutors did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
"As a prosecutor, I would say law enforcement is likely keeping Riibe in the Dominican Republic because he has made numerous inconsistent statements to law enforcement and there are still too many unanswered questions," said Jonathan Hatami, a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles who has been following the case. "Some people may feel Riibe should be allowed to leave. Well, a young girl is missing, and he was the last one to see her. Investigations usually don’t get wrapped up in an hour like a TV show."
Over the course of multiple interviews with police, Riibe allegedly claimed he last saw her on the beach after they were both pulled offshore in a strong current.
He said after struggling back to land, he last saw her walking away in knee-deep water, and then he vomited and fell asleep on a chair, according to a transcript obtained by Fox News.
The move was not unexpected. Riibe has not been charged with a crime and was originally due to return to the U.S. last week.