(NewsNation) — Virginia authorities on Wednesday confirmed Joshua Riibe is a person of interest in the disappearance of University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki.
Konanki, 20, vanished while on a spring break trip with friends in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic early Thursday morning.
Chad J. Quinn, manager of media relations and communications for Loudoun County, Virginia, confirmed Riibe as a person of interest but said officials have “no statements at this time.”
Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Tom Julia told NewsNation that Riibe and others have been “persons of interest for four days.”
Authorities have not indicated any signs of foul play in her disappearance, though her family is pushing investigators to consider the possibility she might have been abducted.
Sudiksha Konanki missing after trip to Dominican Republic
A resident of Ashburn, Virginia, Konanki was last seen Thursday at 4:50 a.m. while walking on the beach at the Riu Republica Hotel, just north of Punta Cana in the La Altagracia district of the Dominican Republic.
According to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Konanki was last seen wearing a brown bikini, big round earrings, a metal designer anklet on her right leg, yellow and steel bracelets on her right wrist, and a multicolored beaded bracelet on her left wrist.
Konanki is a citizen of India and a permanent U.S. resident. She was one of six female University of Pittsburgh students traveling together for spring break. According to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, the Indian embassy in the Dominican Republic has led the search efforts, along with state, federal and on-the-ground law enforcement.
Anyone with information regarding Konanki’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office at 703-777-1021.
Police interview witnesses
Police spoke to both Konanki’s friends and a man in his 20s who was allegedly at the beach around the same time as her, CNN and other outlets reported.
The man, who was spotted on surveillance leaving the beach area alone at 9:55 a.m., is allegedly the last person to see Konanki.
He reportedly told police multiple versions of the morning’s events. He initially said Konanki may have been swept away by a wave but then gave another account, saying she may have left when he got out of the water.
In another, he claimed both he and Konanki went into the ocean, but he felt sick, left the water and fell asleep in a lounge chair.
Another account involved her walking along the beach with the water up to her knees in the direction of where she had left her clothes, the outlet reported.
Police have not linked the interviewee to Riibe.
NewsNation’s Patrick Djordjevic and Safia Samee Ali contributed to this report.
