American linked to missing student spotted on beach with investigators in Punta Cana

PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic — An American linked to the disappearance of a University of Pittsburgh student was spotted by NBC News with investigators and his attorney on a beach in Punta Cana early Sunday.

Joshua Riibe was seen pointing toward the sea while a group of security officials kept people away from the area.

Riibe might have been the last person to have seen Sudiksha Konanki, 20, a University of Pittsburgh junior who went to Punta Cana on March 3 with five female friends for spring break. She was last seen around 4:15 a.m. March 6 after she went to the beach with friends.

Dominican authorities confiscated Riibe's passport Friday by as part of an investigation, his attorneys told NBC News.

Regional Red Cross Director Fernando Placeres said Sunday that he had no information about whether a body had been found.

Speaking exclusively to NBC News briefly at the resort where Konanki had been staying before she disappeared, Riibe said, “I’m just trying to help them out,” adding, “The ocean is a dangerous place.”

Riibe “has been confined to the hotel since the investigation began. He is permanently escorted by the police anywhere he goes. So no, he is not free to leave,” the law firm representing him said in an email Saturday.

National Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In an interview this week with local investigators, Riibe said he was on the beach with Konanki shortly before she disappeared.

He said they were "in waist-deep water, talking and kissing a little," according to a transcript of the interview obtained by NBC News. A wave crashed, taking them both "out to sea," it quotes him saying.

"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, telling investigators that he used to work as a lifeguard.

Riibe said he got Konanki back to shore before she disappeared.

"The last time I saw her, I asked if she was OK. I didn't hear her answer," he said. "I looked around and didn't see anyone. I thought she'd grabbed her things and left."

He told Dominican authorities that he was shocked to later learn she was missing.

The sheriff's office in Loudoun County, Virginia, where Konanki is from and where her family lives, has described Riibe as a "person of interest." The sheriff's office has no jurisdiction over the investigation but has sent detectives to Punta Cana to assist in the U.S. side of the investigation.

Authorities in the Dominican Republic said Thursday they do not use the term "person of interest" and that at this point, no one is considered a suspect.

U.S. authorities say it is a missing persons case and not a criminal matter.

Riibe, 22, from Rock Rapids, Iowa, is a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.

"The Rock Rapids community stands behind and supports Joshua Riibe and his family," friends of the family said in a statement through the Lyon County Iowa Sheriff’s Office. "The Riibe family moved to town in 2015 and has been active in various school and community events and organizations. They are well-known and loved."

The statement added: "Josh has an unwavering devotion to his faith and a genuine kindness toward others. He exemplified the values of compassion, respect, and integrity that are fundamental to our church and community."

In the statement, the friends also asked for privacy for the family "during this difficult time of uncertainty" and noted that while "Josh focuses his efforts to help find Sudiksha Konanki, his family at home is providing support to their loved ones in the Dominican Republic."

CORRECTION (March 16, 2025, 11:35 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated whom NBC News saw on the beach in Punta Cana. Joshua Riibe and his attorney were seen on the beach, but not Riibe’s father.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com