Tourist from Iowa, last person to see Sudiksha Konanki alive, gives 3 versions of the story to cops. What he said he saw
BySumanti Sen
Mar 11, 2025 07:10 AM IST
Joshua Stevem Ribe, a fellow guest at the Caribbean resort from tiny Rock Rapids, was the last person to see Pitt student Sudiksha Konanki alive.
A 24-year-old tourist from Iowa, who was the last person to see University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki alive, gave three versions to the police of what happened. Joshua Stevem Ribe, a fellow guest at the Caribbean resort from tiny Rock Rapids, suggested that he passed out drunk on the beach, and when he woke up, Konanki was missing.
Tourist from Iowa, last person to see Sudiksha Konanki alive, gives 3 versions of the story to cops (@avaaz.official/Instagram)
Tourist from Iowa, last person to see Sudiksha Konanki alive, gives 3 versions of the story to cops (@avaaz.official/Instagram)
Konanki, 20, an Indian-origin woman, vanished while on a spring break holiday in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. She was last spotted at the Riu Republica Resort beach on March 6 around 4:50 am.
What did Joshua Stevem Ribe reveal?
Dominican media outlet Noticias SIN reported that Konanki and her friends were caught on surveillance video partying at a disco at Riu Republica Resort at 3 am. The group left around 4 am and headed out to the beach, staying there until 5:50 am. They left Konanki and Ribe alone on the beach.
Ribe has provided three versions of what happened next, according to the outlet. He first told police that he threw up from the rough surf and went back to shore, but also asked Konanki if she was ok. He said in the second version that he felt sick to his stomach and left the water, and last saw Konanki in knee-deep water in the surf before he passed out. In the final version, he said he saw Konanki walking along the shore before he fell asleep.
Police said Ribe is cooperating with authorities. They have not said if they suspect foul play in Konanki’s disappearance.
Konanki’s family, however, fears that she may have become the victim of a crime. Although local authorities suggested she may have drowned after jumping in the ocean, a complaint seeking to intensify search efforts made a more sinister suggestion, stating that “while it is possible that Sudiksha drowned, there is a growing suspicion that there may be a crime, specifically the possibility of kidnapping,” WTOP reported.
“It’s four days, and if she was in water, she would likely have been strewn to shore,” Konanki’s father, Subbarayudu Konanki, said. “She’s not found, so we’re asking them to investigate multiple options, like kidnapping or abduction.”
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