SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (Diya TV) — A judge in the Dominican Republic officially cleared Joshua Riibe, 22, of any wrongdoing in the disappearance of University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki. Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud State University from Iowa, had been under arrest for close to two weeks after Konanki’s disappearance on March 6.
Konanki, 20, was on spring break with pals at the Riu Republica Hotel in Punta Cana, where she got to know Riibe. The last time they were seen together was in the early hours of March 6, when they went to the beach. Riibe told police that they were swept by a powerful wave while swimming; he had managed to return Konanki to the shallow water before losing her. He then dozed off in a beach chair and never saw her again.
Even though he wasn’t formally charged, Riibe was kept under police surveillance and had his passport taken away while the investigation continued. On March 18, a judge granted Riibe’s habeas corpus request, citing that his detention went beyond the 48 hours allowed by Dominican law. With this ruling, Riibe was able to return to the United States.
The hunt for Konanki involved more than 300 law enforcement officials, including U.S. Department of Homeland Security and FBI agents. Her body was never located despite extensive searching. Her family has since made a request for her to be declared dead.
Before the court’s decision, Konanki’s parents asked for Riibe to be acquitted of any misdoings and wanted authorities to broaden the inquiry into their daughter’s disappearance. Through the judge’s decision, Riibe has now been cleared of any misconduct and has returned to the United States. The conditions behind Konanki’s disappearance still linger.
