Person of interest named in case of missing Pitt student who vanished in Dominican Republic

A person of interest has been named in the case of missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki, who disappeared while on vacation in the Dominican Republic.

Joshua Riibe, the last person to reportedly see the 20-year-old before she disappeared, is being considered a person of interest, a spokesperson for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Channel 11.

The spokesperson added that this is still being investigated as a missing person case and is not a criminal case.

New surveillance video shows Konanki walking toward the beach with a group of people just before she vanished. Reports say the man next to her is Riibe, a tourist from Iowa.

Investigators review video, question people seen with Pitt student missing in Dominican Republic

Previous coverage: Young man last seen with missing Pitt student questioned by authorities

Investigators haven’t said if they believe foul play is involved in her disappearance.

“She went to the beach on March 6 early morning around 4 a.m. with friends and some other guys they met at the resort,” her father, Subbarayudu Konanki, told CNN. “After that, her friends came back after some time and my daughter did not come back, did not show up from the beach.”

Previous coverage: Father of missing Pitt student Sudiksha Konanki asks for wider investigation in Dominican Republic

According to the New York Post, Riibe has given detectives three different stories about what happened that night.

A surveillance photo shows him walking back from the beach. He allegedly told investigators he walked back to shore after getting sick.

In another version, he felt sick and left Konanki standing in knee-deep water.

Then, in the third story, he fell asleep, and the last thing he remembers is Konanki walking on the beach.

Konanki left for Punta Cana with several of her friends from Pitt and was supposed to be returning to class this week. Those friends, and now her family, are still in the Dominican Republic searching for her.

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