The man who is last known with a student from the University of Pittsburgh before she disappeared from a beach in the Dominican Republic, gave more details to local prosecutors about the last time he saw her, Dominican news agency Noticias Sin reported.
Sudiksha Konanki, 20, disappeared from the beach of Riu República Hotel in the early hours of March 6 and led to a hectic search in which authorities from the Dominican Republic, the United States and India were involved, where Konanki was born.
The man who was with her on the beach, Joshua Steven Riibe, said prosecutors that he and Konanki were hit by an intense wave and were swept to the sea when the water returned, according to Noticias Sin. Riibe, a 22-year-old American, is not considered a suspect in the case and is not accused of misconduct.
One of Riibe's lawyers, Helen Peralta, told CNN on Friday that they did not have a statement at the moment.
During his fourth interview with public prosecutors on Wednesday, Riibe described a harrowing attempt to save Konanki after being repressed by the wave and she was fed up with swimming.
“It took me a long time to get her out. It was difficult, “said Riibe, according to Noticias Sin. He said he was trained as a lifeguard, but did not work on the beach at swimming pools.
“I tried to let her breathe all the time. That did not always allow me to breathe and I swallowed a lot of water. I could have losing consciousness several times. When I finally reached the ground on the beach, I held her in front of me. '
He said he saw Konanki for the last time when she walked in knee-deep water.
“The last time I saw her, I asked if she was doing well. I didn't hear her answer because I started to surrender all the seawater that I had swallowed. '
“After vomiting, I looked around and I saw no one. I thought she had taken and left her things, “said Riibe.
“I felt very sick and tired. I lay down on a beach chair and fell asleep because I couldn't go far. “
The photo shows Joshua Riibe, the last known person who sees the American student Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, before she was missing on March 6. – Van Southeast Technical College
The sun and biting mosquitoes woke up, he said, and he went to his friend's room to get his phone and then went to his room to sleep.
“I slept in the room and my friend asked me if I had seen her; I told him no, I thought she had gone to her room, “said Riibe. His friend told him that Konanki never returned to her room, of which Riibe “surprised” him.
When he was asked if he saw Konanki on the beach after that night, Riibe said: “After I saw her walking away while she walked in the water, I never saw her again.”
Riibe refused to answer a few questions from the public prosecutor, according to the transcript obtained by Noticias Sin. CNN has seen a copy of the transcript.
Since the incident, Riibe, who comes from Iowa and was on vacation in the Dominican Republic, said that he was only interviewed in his room.
His aunt, Theresa Riibe, asked for privacy in a statement to CNN Friday.
“Our family is going through a very difficult time at the moment and we experience a lot of sorrow and pain,” said the explanation. “We kindly ask for privacy while we navigate together because of this challenging moment.”
The moments before Konanki disappeared
Riibe said he first met Konanki in the hotel when he and his friend introduced himself to the group of Konanki.
Konanki was in the resort with five other female students from the University of Pittsburgh, according to the Sheriff's Office in Loudoun County, Virginia, where her family lives.
The two groups of friends went to the bar where they drank until “someone suggested that we would go to the beach,” said Riibe in his interview. Two of the women were left behind.
Konanki was last seen on surveillance camera with seven other people who enter the beach at the Riu República Hotel in Punta Cana after 4.15 am 6 March, said the National Police of Dominican Republic in a statement.
Before they went to the beach, security images shows that the group of Americans – Konanki, five other women and two men – had drunk in the hotel's lobby around 3 hours, a source of the National Police of Dominican Republic told CNN.
Around 4:55 am Thursday, surveillance cameras captured five women and a man who left the beach, while Konanki is supposed to have left behind with the other young man, according to two sources near the research at CNN.
Surveillance video shows the man who leaves the beach at 8:55 am, the two sources near the investigation, said, without signs of Konanki.
When Konanki did not return to her room, her companions initially searched for her before they informed the authorities, according to the source of law enforcement. The group then reported her missing to the hotel staff around 4 p.m. on Thursday, the Riu Hotel Chain said in a statement.
She had gone to Punta Cana for the spring break, her father said, Subbarayudu Konanki. “My daughter is a very nice girl,” he said. “She is ambitious. She wanted to pursue a career in medicine. '
Konanki's father wants local authorities to “also investigate other possibilities, including whether this is a case of abduction or human trafficking,” he told CNN on Sunday to Punta Cana. “We don't think she could survive in the water for more than three days and I think something else might have happened to her.”
The Sheriff office in Loudoun County, Virginia, also insisted on caution around “public speculation” about the disappearance of Konanki, according to a press release from Monday.
“There has been considerable public speculation about what happened to Konanki and whoever is involved,” said the Sheriff office. “We warn that someone does not draw unused conclusions and are dedicated to ensure that a thorough investigation is conducted before conclusions are drawn.”
CNN's Lex Harvey, Caroll Alvarado and Alaa Elassar have contributed to this report.
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