Last person to see missing University of Pittsburgh student student alive has passport confiscated

The last person to see University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki before she disappeared in the Dominican Republic has had his passport taken by investigators.

Authorities in the Caribbean country have confiscated Joshua Riibe’s travel documents as they continue to probe Konanki’s disappearance, according to NBC News.

On Sunday morning, Riibe was seen on the beach with investigators, his father, and an attorney, according to the outlet. Riibe was reportedly seen pointing towards the ocean while security kept anyone else away from the location.

The 22-year-old has been “confined to the hotel since the investigation began” and has a permanent police escort, his lawyers told NBC News.

“He is not free to leave,” his attorneys said, with his passport being confiscated on Friday.

Konanki was last seen with Riibe on the beach near the RIU Hotel & Resort on March 6. He has told investigators that he pulled her out of the dangerous waters before losing her in the darkness.

“I’m just trying to help them out,” he told NBC News at his hotel. “The ocean is a dangerous place.”

A member of civil defense canine unit searches for Sudiksha Konanki, a university student from the U.S. who disappeared on a beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Konanki, a 20-year-old pre-med student, was last seen entering a beach at 4:15 a.m. on March 6 while vacationing with five female college friends on spring break in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

After her friends returned to their hotel room just before 6 a.m., Konanki stayed on the beach with Riibe – a former high school wrestler from Iowa. It’s not immediately clear if or how the pair knew one another before meeting on the Caribbean Island.

He told police he went for a swim with Konanki, and the two had kissed in the water before a big wave swept her up, an interview transcript obtained by NBC News stated.

Civil defense boats search for Sudiksha Konanki, a university student from the U.S. who disappeared on a beach. (AP)

“I kept trying to get her to breathe, but that didn't allow me to breathe all the time, and I swallowed a lot of water,” he said. He also told investigators that he used to work as a lifeguard.

The sheriff's office in Loudon County, Virginia, where Konanki’s family lives, has described Riibe as a “person of interest” and has sent detectives to assist.