In Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, the search for a missing U.S. college student has intensified after a man questioned by authorities visited the beach where she was last seen. Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student and Indian citizen, disappeared on March 6 in Punta Cana. Minnesota student Joshua Riibe, who is believed to be the last person to see her, met with officials on the beach but has not been named a suspect. According to an interview transcript, Riibe recounted that he and Konanki were drinking and kissing in waist-deep water when they were pulled out to sea by a strong tide. Riibe, a former lifeguard, swam her to shore, but when he turned around, Konanki was gone. Riibe’s parents have expressed concerns about his detention by Dominican officials without translators or legal counsel, stating that he has been under police surveillance in a hotel room for over a week. The parents have hired a lawyer to protect his rights. The FBI is also involved in the investigation into Konanki’s disappearance.
