Iowa college student passports caught during investigation Dominican Republic This is a cautionary story for Americans traveling abroad, and experts say they should be wary of protecting their travel documents.
Last month, Joshua Riibe, 22, was confiscated with his passport and cell phone when investigators tried to piece together Missing spring circuit breaker Sudiksha Konanki’s last moment. Hotel surveillance video shows Riibe the last person to disappear on Punta Cana Beach after a University of Pittsburgh student drank with friends.
Riibe was submerged in the Riu Republica Hotel under the supervision of local authorities after authorities said Riibe, who had never been suspect, disappeared.
Riibe, a student at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, stayed in the Dominican Republic and could not return to the United States, and would take about two weeks to go home.
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Joshua Riibe arrived at the Court of the Dominican Republic on March 18, 2025. (Fox News figures)
Riibe sat inside the Dominican court with his father and translator, and the lawyers argued over the conditions for the detention of Riibe’s hotel room, which drew the Dominican court’s head. Questions surrounding Riibe’s passport return are scheduled for a later date and may force Riibe to stay in the country for a second court appearance.
“It’s very rare since my passport was taken, I’m alone.” Ribe testified before one Dominican judge. He later added: “I can’t go anywhere. I really want to go home. Hug my family and friends.”
When Riibe’s attorney said his passport was confiscated, prosecutors argued that he had lost it.
After the initial court proceedings, Ribe was able to obtain a temporary passport from the US Consulate in the Dominican Republic.
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Sudiksha Konanki disappeared on Punta Cana Beach on March 6. (Fox News Digital/Lauden County Sheriff’s Office)
On March 19, Riibe boarded a JetBlue flight from Santo Domingo to San Juan, Puerto Rico, marking the end of his nightmare abroad. However, Riibe’s escape encountered a brief obstacle Noticeentro report.
Last week, a Dominican judge ruled formally to close Ribe’s case, approving habeas protection actions proposed on behalf of the main witness.
Riber’s attorney said: “On March 18, after the habeas protection committee’s hearing ended, our client, Joshua Riibe was ordered to release our client, Joshua Riibe. “While Joshua appreciated the decision, for privacy reasons, he chose to apply for a new passport at the U.S. Consulate and release it immediately. ”
Although Riibe was able to obtain a replacement passport and then return home, his experience is a warning to Americans who may be required to hand over their passports for a variety of reasons for being in another country.
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Local authorities searched on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 at Sudiksha Konanki, a missing student in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. On March 6, 2025, Konanki met for the last time on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic on March 6. (Santiago Baez for Fox News figures)
International travel security expert Kate Gladdin said travelers can be required to be confiscated by foreign law enforcement or as collateral while enjoying the tour.
“The reality is that there are some bad fruits that can be seen and will be obtained soon [them] Gladdin told Fox News Digital that it was in a vulnerable position because they had no government.
“One thing I can say is never to use your passport as a form of deposit,” Gradin said. “Some stories are like, ‘Oh, do you want to hire this motorboat? OK, we can use your passport as your back deposit.’ Don’t [do it]. Keep it in safety and leave it there until [the end of your trip]. ”
The risk of confiscating identification files is a problem that encounters near Gladdin.
Gradin’s sister Nicole Fitzsimons died in a motorcycle accident while on vacation in 2012 In Thailand and her boyfriend Jamie Keith.
Fitzsimons, 24, was riding on the back of the bike when a driver was riding on the road, riding the couple’s vehicle.
“she [was rushed] Gladdin told Fox News Digital that the surgery was performed. “We all have our hearts and our toes and fingers crossed and she will be fine, but unfortunately, we did lose her during the surgery.”
Nicole Fitzsimons and Jamie Keith took photos while visiting Thailand in 2012. (Contributed by Kate Gladdin)
But Fitzsimmons’ death is not the end of a sad family’s nightmare.
Keith’s Australian passport is Thai authoritiesand eventually banned him from leaving because the investigation is still in progress.
“Unfortunately, the police tried to see it differently and put us in a very uncomfortable, difficult and challenging situation, and they took Jamie’s passport,” Gladding said. “There is no justice for Nicole’s death.”
Gladdin also advises vacationers to bring copies of their identification documents so that their property will not be lost or stolen.
“Every country is different,” Gradin said. “You have to keep security in your own hands because the rules may not always exist. But without these rules, we have no protection.”
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Nicole Fitzsimons and Kate Gladdin posed for photos at their brothers’ wedding in 2011. (Contributed by Kate Gladdin)
The family’s struggle to bring Keith home while also struggling with Fitzsimmons’ death, leads Gradin on the path of how parents can instill Travel safety habits Among their family.
“Traveling is one of the most compelling things we can do,” Gradin said. “But help them make educational choices. I’m not against travel, but I’m for educational travel.”
Gladdin also pointed to parents pointing to federal resources designed to keep Americans safe when traveling abroad. The State Council Smart traveler admission program If something goes wrong, it provides holidaymakers with the opportunity to register for a trip in the government.
“[Officials] You can be updated quickly and contacted about any security or safeguard information (whether it is an upcoming cyclone or a terrorist threat) and if they know you are there, they need to quickly bring you out of a country. ”
Fox News Digital contacts the State Council.
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Gradin’s passion for travel safety and educating parents was born out of tragedy, but she insisted that for other families, it wasn’t necessarily that way.
“Lying on the floor of my sister’s closet and choosing her funeral instead of helping with choosing a wedding dress – no motivation,” Gladdin told Fox News Digital. “I think it’s finding the goal you’re experiencing, [by] Positive about surrounding issues [finding] What can you do to help solve them. My family created the purpose of Nicole’s death by looking at travel safety issues and doing everything we can to solve it. ”
Michael Ruiz and Greg Wehner of Fox News Digital contributed to the report.
