Punta Cana, Dominican Republic – The Dominican Republic’s top prosecutor interviewed Joshua Riibe, 22, of Iowa, at his hotel on Saturday for hours, personally questioning the lonely public witness in the disappearance of Virginia, 20, in Virginia Sudiksha Konanki.
Dominican Attorney General Yeni Berenice Reynoso personally roasted Riibe to end the week, which included multiple interviews with detectives from multiple agencies, including La Policia Nacional, the country’s police force and detectives from Loudoun County, Virginia, Konanki, home of Konanki.
Renoso’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Riibe and Reynoso’s entourage were both found coming from a room at Riu Republica Hotel on Saturday night, and his lawyer later confirmed that he was questioned himself at AG.
Although Ribe was not appointed as a suspect, there was no crime, authorities described him as a “key element” in the investigation of missing persons. His parents joined the country. Riibe, Konanki and their friends live in a resort for spring break.
Missing in the Dominican Republic: Searching for Sudiksha Konanki for a week
Sudiksha Konanki, 20, of Northern Virginia, disappeared for the first time after disappearing from a beach in the Dominican Republic on Thursday, March 6. (Handout Photo/Defensa Civil Dominicana)
Riibe’s parents said Friday he had been under “irregular treatment” for more than a week.
“While he was fully willing to cooperate, Josh was detained under irregular conditions and was present by an official translator or legal counsel until Wednesday, March 12,” his parents, Albert and Tina Riibe, said through a lawyer.
American College Students Disappear in the Dominican Republic: Timetable
American college student Sudiksha Konanki disappeared while on a vacation in Punta Cana on March 6. (Fox News Graphics)
They said: “He has been staying in his hotel room under police surveillance and has been repeatedly taken to the police station since March 6, where he was questioned for a long time. This situation has attracted serious concern within his family, which has left us with legal counsel to ensure his safety and protection of his rights in the process.”
Authorities also revealed Saturday Riibe’s passport Confiscated.
Missing in the Dominican Republic: Searching for Sudiksha Konanki for a week
Police station in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Kirill Clarke)
Konanki was last seen entering the beach behind the resort, which included her female friends University of Pittsburghand two men, one of whom was identified as Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.
Dominican laws similar to those in the United States require that people in detention not be charged within 48 hours.
A State Department spokesman said U.S. authorities were aware of the situation, but were unable to comment on details due to “privacy and other considerations.”
“The department has no comparison American citizen Abroad,” the spokesperson said.
Sources close to the investigation told Fox News Digital on Friday that Riibe remains a “key element” in the investigation and they will face “intensifying” doubts. Authorities also carefully studied the telephone records of Konanki and other witnesses, including those seen when she entered the beach before she disappeared, sources said.
People on the beach at Riu República Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on Friday. (Fox News figures)
Konanki, Riibe and their friends entered the beach behind the five-star resort of Riu Republica Republica around 4:15 am on March 6. Everyone except Konanki is back.
Six of them were seen leaving the beach around 6 a.m., when her friends disappeared that day at 4 p.m., and his six were reportedly returning alone but were still missing.
Unpredictable ocean currents, the seashore faces major search challenges
A drone flew overhead while local authorities searched for missing college student Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Santiago Baez for Fox News figures)
Riibe, according to Leaked transcripts In a police interview obtained by Fox News, he told police that he and Konanki were hit by strong waves and swept across the sea. They fought the current and he brought her back to land. Then he said that the last time he saw her walking away from her items in deep knee water, when he vomited and then slept on a beach chair
He said she left when he woke up.
The same resort saw four European tourists drowning in an incident in January. All of their remains were recovered within 48 hours.
Local authorities searched for Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on Friday. (Fox News figures)
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Searches for Konanki have expanded the coastline, involving hundreds of people, helicopters, aircraft, ships, diving teams, K9S and drones, including new AI-AI-equipped models.
“Most of all, we want to contribute to the search work and understand the pain and uncertainty they are experiencing, and we share our hopes to find Sudiksha as soon as possible,” Riibe’s parents said Friday. “Joshua Riibe is deeply frustrated Her disappearance And from the very beginning, they have fully collaborated on the search and clarification of facts. ”
