PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic – The hometown sheriff’s department of a missing American college student has named a person of interest in Sudiksha Konanki’s disappearance in the Dominican Republic.
Loudoun County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Thomas Julia told Fox News Digital that 24-year-old Joshua Riibe is a “person of interest” in the college student’s disappearance during the University of Pittsburgh student’s spring break.
Julia said that Riibe “has been interviewed at length,” but noted it’s “still a missing person case, not a criminal case.” Riibe has not been accused of any crime in the case.
“Sheriff [Michael] Chapman wants to make sure the investigation is comprehensive and includes all possible assets and techniques,” he said. “We are working closely with the FBI on all of this, and they are working with the Dominican National Police.”
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Sudiksha Konanki in a Facebook selfie photo. The 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh junior has been missing since March 6, when she vanished during a spring break trip to a five-star resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Sudiksha Konanki/Facebook)
Julia also confirmed to Fox News Digital that 24-year-old Riibe gave conflicting statements to authorities following Konanki’s resort disappearance.
“We are aware of these statements and I cannot comment,” he said. “Our communications have been with the FBI and other U.S authorities.”
Chapman said he is sending detectives to the Dominican Republic as they work under the FBI’s guidance, NBC News reported.
Diego Pesqueira, director of strategic communications for La Policia Nacional, told Fox News Digital that police have been urging the public not to rush to judgment as the investigation plays out.
“We have expanded the investigation: more personnel, more equipment, the FBI, the Attorney General’s office, interviews, and are reviewing security camera footage,” he said, speaking in Spanish.
Local authorities search for missing US student, Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was last seen on March 6 on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)
Authorities have a person of interest, but it was not immediately clear they’d found any evidence of a crime.
Konanki’s whereabouts remained unknown as of Wednesday morning.
“We have expanded the investigation: more personnel, more equipment, the FBI, the Attorney General’s office, interviews, and are reviewing security camera footage.”
La Policia Nacional also said in a statement that Riibe’s passport had not been confiscated, and that only the Public Prosecutor’s Office has the authority to order that as part of an investigation.
Police said Konanki, who is a resident of Loudon County, Virginia, traveled with five other people from the University of Pittsburgh to the Riu República Hotel in Punta Cana during the school’s spring break, which began March 2 and ended Sunday.
US college student Sudiksha Konanki went missing while on vacation with her friends in Punta Cana on March 6, 2025. (Fox News Graphics)
She was last seen on surveillance camera with five other people entering the beach at the five-star resort after 4:15 a.m. Thursday, the Dominican National Police previously said in a statement.
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Footage obtained by Noticias SIN showed Konanki seemingly clinging to a man as the group made their way towards the beach.
It was the last time authorities tracked Konanki before the Virginia resident disappeared.
People enjoy time on the beach the sea at the RIU Republica Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was last seen on March 6 on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)
Local authorities search for missing US student, Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was last seen on March 6 on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)
Konanki’s disappearance has sparked widespread speculation about the events leading up to it, prompting law enforcement in both the Dominican Republic and the U.S. to investigate.
Authorities have not named any suspects amid the ongoing investigation. On Tuesday, the Dominican National Police said it is “re-interviewing targeted individuals who were in the victim’s proximity at the time of her disappearance.”
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“This includes hotel employees where Konanki and her companions were staying, with the goal of gathering information to corroborate her movements, interactions, and any relevant details for the investigation,” they said.
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When asked about a Monday report that Konanki may have drowned, a spokesperson for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital that authorities “have heard this and have seen no evidence presented at this time.”
A joint investigation into Konanki’s disappearance is being conducted by the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic, the Dominican National Police and the Dominican Prosecutors Office. The FBI is also assisting.
The Lyons County Sheriffs Department, where Riibe is from, deferred to the Dominican Republic authorities and the FBI. Sheriff Brian Hilt said that they are “not aware” of Riibe’s location.
“We would defer all further inquiries to the investigating agency, and we ask that everyone respect the privacy of Mr. Riibe’s family,” he told Fox News Digital.
Local authorities search for missing US student, Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Konanki, 20, was last seen on March 6 on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)
In a statement to Fox News Digital, the FBI said that they are assisting in the investigation.
“The FBI may devote resources to investigations in foreign countries when an American citizen is missing, may be victimized, or when American interests are targeted or suspected to be. This international collaboration is always done with the consent of the host country and in cooperation with the Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of State,” they said.
“The FBI, led by its Legal Attaché offices throughout the world, continually strives to build strategic partnerships with our foreign law enforcement, intelligence, and security service counterparts. These trusted relationships are essential when responding to incidents involving American citizens abroad, wherever they may be.”
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“The FBI, in coordination with our Legal Attaché Offices around the world, routinely shares information and intelligence with our international law enforcement partners in an effort to identify and mitigate a variety of threats.”
Riibe told Fox News Digital on Tuesday via phone call that he did not want to comment “at this time.” He also said he does not have a lawyer.