Authorities Confiscate Man's Passport Over Missing Student

But Sudiksha Konanki's disappearance might still be an accidental drowning
Posted Mar 17, 2025 2:26 PM CDT
Authorities Confiscate Man's Passport Over Missing Student
Military personnel search for Sudiksha Konanki, a university student from the U.S. who disappeared on a beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Monday, March. 10, 2025.   (AP Photo/Francesco Spotorno)

Authorities in the Dominican Republic have confiscated the passport of an Iowa man who was the last person to see a missing University of Pittsburgh student, reports CNN. Investigators continue to interview Joshua Steven Riibe, 22, and he has not been charged with any wrongdoing in the disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki, 20. He previously told police that the pair were struck by a powerful wave while in waist-deep water but that he thought they both made it out safely.

Meanwhile, new video from a local news outlet appears to show Konanki getting sick outside a bar hours before she went missing, reports People. The same video from Noticias SIN also appears to show Riibe vomiting as well, though the two are not seen interacting with each other. Konanki, who was in the DR for spring break, was last seen walking toward the beach about 4:15am with a man identified by the outlet as Riibe. (More missing student stories.)

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