Person of interest identified in disappearance of US student in the Dominican Republic

Editor’s note: This page summarizes the news of Sudiksha Konanki’s disappearance for Wednesday, March 12. For the latest news on Konanki’s disappearance in the Dominican Republic, visit USA TODAY’s story for Thursday, March 13.

Authorities have identified a person of interest in the case of a college student who went missing during a spring break visit to the Dominican Republic.

Meanwhile, authorities in the Caribbean island continue their search to find 20-year-old Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Konanki’s hometown in Virginia, said Joshua Riibe was seen with the student at a resort before she went missing, spokesperson Chad Quinn told USA TODAY. Though Konanki’s father has asked local authorities to broaden the investigation, Quinn said the case is not a criminal investigation, so Riibe is not considered a suspect in Konanki’s disappearance.

“This particular individual may have been the last one to have seen her, so is of particular interest,” Quinn added in an email to USA TODAY.

Konanki traveled to the island with five girlfriends a week ago during spring break and authorities say she was last seen early Thursday on the beach with friends. In a previous statement, police said surveillance cameras captured five women and one man leaving the beach at about 6 a.m. Thursday. Konanki apparently stayed behind with a man, and surveillance video shows him leaving the beach area hours later without her.

Quinn said Riibe was not part of the group that Konanki traveled to the island with and is believed to have met them in the resort town of Punta Cana. Quinn said he could not confirm Riibe’s age or whether he has been interviewed by police.

Riibe is originally from Rock Rapids, Iowa, and has been a student at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota since 2023, according to university spokesperson Zach Dwyer. Dwyer said Riibe is a senior majoring in land surveying and mapping sciences.

Family members of Konanki, a native of India, live in a Washington, D.C., suburb, and the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office is assisting the FBI and local law enforcement in the investigation.

“A number of people have been interviewed by the Dominican National Police with the assistance of the FBI,” Quinn said. The interview process will continue and the sheriff’s office will establish a presence on the ground Wednesday, he said.