Missing Pitt student Sudiksha Konanki seen staggering while arm-in-arm with ‘person of interest’
Chilling new surveillance footage shows missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki staggering while walking arm-in-arm with an Iowa man identified as a “person of interest” in her disappearance — as the search for the co-ed enters a sixth day.
Joshua Steven Riibe of tiny Rock Rapids has been identified as the last person to see the 20-year-old student alive early on March 6 at the upscale Punta Cana resort, according to local authorities.
The new footage shows the pair walking near the beach around 4:15 a.m., at one point also seen holding hands while Konanki’s spring-break friends stroll nearby, according to Noticias SIN.
Here is the latest information on missing Pitt student, Sudiksha Konanki:
- University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki was on spring break in Punta Cana prior to her disappearance.
- Konanki, from Virginia, and her pals went onto the beach from a disco at the Riu Republica Hotel early in the morning following a power outage.
- She was last seen with Joshua Steven Riibe from Iowa, who was named “a person of interest.”
- Konanki’s parents asked Dominican Republic officials to declare her dead despite her body not being recovered.
- Sheriff Mike Chapman of Konanki’s hometown in Loudoun County, Virginia, has previously said it is too early to determine if she had drowned.
- The FBI, along with local and other US agencies, are searching for Konanki.
Riibe, in a muscle shirt, holds out his phone, seemingly taking selfies as the pair struggles to walk in a straight line, with the still-missing student appearing to stagger at times.
The Dominican Republic National Police reported that Konanki, from Virginia, and her pals spilled out onto the beach from a disco at the Riu Republica Hotel following a power outage.
Most of the group left the beach around 5:50 a.m., leaving Riibe and Konanki alone, police said.
According to local reports, Riibe has given three accounts of what happened next, saying he got out of the rough surf and passed out drunk on the beach — only to wake to find that Konanki was gone.
Follow the latest on the search for missing Pitt student Sudiksha Konanki:
- Joshua Riibe detained in Puerto Rico as his frustrated dad tells reporters to leave them alone after Sudiksha Konanki’s disappearance
- Josh Riibe is ‘free to leave’ the DR after being held in Sudiksha Konanki disappearance, judge rules
- Sudiksha Konanki’s parents reveal they now think she drowned and that Josh Riibe wasn’t responsible
- Parents of missing Pitt student Sudiksha Konanki ask DR officials to declare daughter dead
In an email to The Post on Wednesday, Chad Quinn, a spokesman for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in Konanki’s hometown, confirmed Riibe was a person of interest in the case, but cautioned against jumping to conclusions.
“This is not at this time a criminal investigation, so to be clear, he is not a suspect,” Quinn said. “It is our understanding that he is a US citizen who was vacationing in Punta Cana, not part of the group traveling with the missing person.
“A number of people have been interviewed by the Dominican National Police with the assistance of the FBI and this is continuing. Our office will have a presence on the ground today too.”
Authorities in the Caribbean island said approximately 300 law enforcement personnel are involved in the search, including the FBI, the agency confirmed this week. The rough surf has complicated the hunt.
Local police initially suggested Konanki drowned during the early swim. However, her family believes she is a crime victim — and may have been abducted.
In a press release, national police officials would not confirm reports that Riibe’s passport has been seized.
Riibe’s father could not be reached for comment Wednesday. He declined to comment on the case when reached by The Post earlier this week.
