The hometown sheriff’s division of a lacking American faculty pupil has named an individual of curiosity in Sudiksha Konanki’s disappearance within the Dominican Republic.
Loudoun County, Virginia Sheriff’s Workplace spokesperson Thomas Julia informed Fox Information Digital that 24-year-old Joshua Riibe is a “person of interest” within the faculty pupil’s disappearance in the course of the College of Pittsburgh pupil’s spring break.
Julia mentioned that Riibe “has been interviewed at length,” however famous its’ “still a missing person case, not a criminal case.” Riibe has not been accused of any crime within the case.
“Sheriff [Michael] Chapman wants to make sure the investigation is comprehensive and includes all possible assets and techniques,” he mentioned. “We are working closely with the FBI on all of this, and they are working with the Dominican National Police.”
Police mentioned Konanki, who’s a resident of Loudon County, Virginia, traveled with 5 different individuals from the College of Pittsburgh to the Riu República Resort in Punta Cana in the course of the faculty’s spring break, which started March 2 and ended Sunday.
She was final seen on surveillance digital camera with 5 different individuals getting into the seashore on the five-star resort after 4:15 a.m. Thursday, the Dominican Nationwide Police beforehand mentioned in an announcement.
Footage obtained by Noticias SIN confirmed Konanki seemingly clinging to a person because the group made their manner in the direction of the seashore.
It was the final time authorities tracked Konanki earlier than the Virginia resident disappeared.
Konanki’s disappearance has sparked widespread hypothesis concerning the occasions main as much as it, prompting legislation enforcement in each the Dominican Republic and the US to research.
Authorities haven’t named any suspects amid the continuing investigation. On Tuesday, the Dominican Nationwide Police mentioned it’s “re-interviewing targeted individuals who were in the victim’s proximity at the time of her disappearance.”
“This includes hotel employees where Konanki and her companions were staying, with the goal of gathering information to corroborate her movements, interactions, and any relevant details for the investigation,” they mentioned.
When requested a few Monday report that Konanki could have drowned, a spokesperson for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Workplace informed Fox Information Digital that authorities “have heard this and have seen no evidence presented at this time.”
A joint investigation into Konanki’s disappearance is being performed by the US Embassy within the Dominican Republic, the Dominican Nationwide Police and the Dominican Prosecutors Workplace. The FBI can also be aiding.
The FBI declined to offer extra particulars on the investigation.
Fox Information Digital has reached out to Joshua Riibe.
