Punta Cana, Dominican Republic -- The legal situation surrounding the disappearance of University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki has intensified as lawyers for Joshua Riibe, a Minnesota college student who was with her the night she went missing, have filed a request for a habeas corpus hearing. This information was confirmed by a source from the Dominican Republic Ministry of Justice speaking to ABC News.
Riibe, who has not been formally charged with any crime, has faced questioning by prosecutors over a span of three days. His legal team argues that he is being detained unlawfully and aims to prevent the 22-year-old from being placed in custody. Reports indicate that authorities have confiscated Riibe's passport and that he is under surveillance at his hotel.
In the Dominican Republic, individuals can challenge unlawful detentions through habeas corpus hearings. Under local laws, detained individuals must be presented before a judge within 48 hours. If not formally charged, they are entitled to release. However, it is important to note that a ruling on the habeas corpus request cannot impede an arrest order from Dominican authorities, as clarified by Riibe’s attorney and a source from the Ministry of Justice.
Authorities are currently treating the case of the missing 20-year-old Konanki as an accident, with officials indicating they believe she may have drowned. Although Riibe is not considered a suspect, he is cooperating with the investigation and has been questioned as a witness. Investigators are reportedly scrutinizing potential inconsistencies in his account of the events leading up to Konanki’s disappearance.
New evidence, including surveillance footage from the night before Konanki went missing on March 6, has come to light. This video, captured inside the RIU hotel nightclub, shows both Konanki and Riibe appearing unwell. On the night in question, Konanki was enjoying spring break with friends when she went missing in the early hours of March 6. Reports indicate that she and her group visited a nightclub before taking a walk on the beach.
According to the investigation, most of the group returned to the hotel around 5:55 a.m. after a night of drinking. However, Riibe stayed behind on the beach with Konanki. In a statement to the prosecutor, Riibe described how the two went swimming, shared a kiss, and were subsequently caught by a wave that pulled them into the ocean. He recounted his efforts to keep Konanki above water, saying, "I was trying to make sure that she could breathe the entire time." Riibe noted that he struggled to breathe himself, swallowing a significant amount of water.
After managing to reach the sand, Riibe stated that he placed Konanki in front of him. He mentioned that she attempted to retrieve her belongings from the water and was last seen walking at an angle in knee-deep water. "The last time I saw her, I asked her if she was OK," Riibe told investigators. However, he did not hear her response as he began to vomit from the water he had ingested. When he regained his composure, he noticed Konanki was no longer there and assumed she had left to gather her things.
Riibe later admitted to passing out on a beach chair and waking up several hours later, making his way back to his hotel room. Police have confirmed that they recovered items belonging to Konanki, including her swim coverup and shoes found on the beach. Surveillance cameras from the hotel captured Riibe returning to his room that morning. He is expected to undergo further questioning on Monday.
The Riibe family has expressed their condolences and solidarity with Sudiksha Konanki’s family during this difficult time. In their statement, they conveyed, “We express our deep sorrow and solidarity with the family of Sudiksha Konanki during this painful time. 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.”
This ongoing investigation continues to draw attention, and updates are eagerly awaited by both families involved and the public.
