DR, Sudiksha Konanki, 20, Punta Cana, 6 March 2025

[CityKid]

Why experts believe missing Spring Break student didn't drown

Sudiksha Konanki, 20, has not been seen since the early hours of March 6 at the Riu Republica Resort on Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic - and experts fear foul play is why she hasn't been found

www.dailymail.co.uk

Stephen Leatherman, a professor of Earth and Environment at Florida International University, also thought eight days was too long for her body to be at sea.

'If she drowned, her body should have already surfaced in the warm Caribbean waters,' he said.

'I have served as an expert witness for 30 years, so I have been involved in many cases where someone drowned in a rip current, but the body was always recovered.

'I think that there must be another explanation for her disappearance.'
'Keeping focus on her likely being alive increases the chances of finding her.'

Rbm.
Obviously take the DM link with the proverbial grain of salt, but I think Prof. S. Leatherman has a point that maybe they need to take a closer look at other possibilities ?
Hoping for better news soon !!!!!!
Imo.
Omo.

Sorry if what I'm writing is a bit gruesome. I have no idea where SK is or what the circumstances of her disappearance are and I continue to hope she's found alive. I'm just not taking what a professor is saying about this because we don't know if this possible drowning was due to a rip current, high waves or another reason.

Snagged (either swimwear or body) on a coral reef?

https://livingpuntacana.com/snorkeling-in-punta-cana-avoid-the-high-expectations/

Reefs in Punta Cana can be as little as 60 feet deep; a human body will lose most of its buoyancy and sink more quickly when it reaches about that depth.

Punta Cana and Bavaro

Enjoy accessible, stress-free scuba diving and spectacular beaches in the Dominican Republic’s most popular luxury getaway destinations.

www.zubludiving.com

Man dives 65 feet to test sinking theory. When does your body really sink in ocean?

A diver demonstrated the effects of water pressure on the human body by descending 65 feet underwater. The video, shared on Reddit, shows how increasing pressure causes the body to sink as air in the lungs compresses. This revelation has sparked fear and caution among viewers about deep diving.

economictimes.indiatimes.com

Shark predation on a dead human, especially by tiger sharks:

https://www.promega.com/resources/profiles-in-dna/2013/dna-identification-of-human-remains-obtained-from-a-tiger-shark/#:~:text=Tiger%20Sharks&text=These%20sharks%20are%20known%20scavengers,the%20remains%20of%20drowning%20victims.

Interesting comments re: relative rarity of shark sightings reported in the DR compared to Haiti, its neighbor country on Hispaniola, and speculation that this has to do with which nation has a strong tourist industry.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g147293-i28-k8337516-o40-Shark_Sightings-Punta_Cana_La_Altagracia_Province_Dominican_Republic.html

 

[CityKid]

Bold by me

The bolded info is conflicting for me. The resort had red flags out, and folks on this forum have checked the wave heights for that night and said they were 5-6 feet. That strikes me as "rough" water, but then I've never lived near the ocean.
The person, Braun, who said it is a private investigator, not an expert on the ocean (that expert was quoted further down in the article).

I swim in the ocean in NYC. I'm pretty strong, but 5-6 feet is surf-wave height for a moderate surfer (I don't surf). I'm also 5 feet tall, and that height of wave goes past the fun, splashy wave into "holy crap, I can't stand up and I just got pushed 15 feet from where I was standing" wave. MOO. SK is 5-foot-3 from the "missing" posters.

 

[Firstsnow4]

That's my major problem with his story. He is saying SK after being hit by a wave, swept out to sea and nearly drowning - returns to the water - "walking in knee deep water".

As I said before, if he is creating this story to exonerate himself - he's accomplished exactly the opposite. But it's too late to reel it back in now.

We're on day nine. I see many are saying due to water temp, currents, ect. - SK's body should have been found at the shoreline well before now. I have no idea if that is an absolute or not, but I would like to see a professional opinion on what the variables could be on that prediction. Preferably a source not linked to the DM or NYP.

I believe in innocent until proven guilty but I agree the story does seem off (if it’s been translated properly). If you had nearly drowned and was struggling to breathe because of a rip tide, would you go back into the water after being saved? I would be keeping well clear of it. MOO.

 

[Pharmasgirl]

How did we get security footage then

One would have to ask them how they saw him come back in the hotel with no shirt or shoes. We DONT know ANYTHING for certain…

 

[Mimimom]

Even in knee deep water you can be knocked down by a wave and pulled out with the current, especially if intoxicated.

 

[TMich6811]

One would have to ask them how they saw him come back in the hotel with no shirt or shoes. We DONT know ANYTHING for certain…

I don’t understand what you mean. No we don’t know for certain. I said the cameras picked them up so there was power for the cameras. Likely the cameras would have picked up someone leaving the area with her.

We know he came back with no shoes and no shirt because it’s on camera.

 

[CityKid]

[…]

Riibe also told police he "expected to see her the next day" and thought he would "run into her around the area."

Riibe said he was sleeping in his room when his friend asked him if he had seen Konanki, to which Riibe replied no.

"I thought she had gone to her room," he allegedly told police. "Her friends texted my friend since he had one of their numbers."

Hmm. So the friend (same friend as the one, Carter Joseph, he wouldn't answer questions about?) had already met and gotten the number of one of the women traveling with SK. Was it earlier that night, or had there been previous meetups? Curiouser and curiouser.

 

[LittleSeaTree]

[…]

Riibe said Konanki was walking "knee-deep" in the water when he last saw her.

"I asked if she was okay. I didn’t hear her response because I started vomiting all the seawater I had swallowed," Riibe said. "After vomiting, I looked around and didn’t see anyone. I thought she had grabbed her things and left. I felt really bad and exhausted. I lay down on a beach chair, fell asleep because I couldn’t go very far, and later woke up because of the sun and mosquito bites. I went to my friend’s room to get my phone, then went to my own room to sleep."

Riibe also told police he "expected to see her the next day" and thought he would "run into her around the area."

Riibe said he was sleeping in his room when his friend asked him if he had seen Konanki, to which Riibe replied no.

"I thought she had gone to her room," he allegedly told police. "Her friends texted my friend since he had one of their numbers."

The Iowa man said his friends went to the beach the next day and found his "belongings" because he "never picked them up," other than a pair of shoes and a room key that he said "someone had stolen."

[…]

Key witness in American college student's disappearance tells police how they met, what happened on beach

Key witness in missing American college student Sudiksha Konanki's disappearance in the Dominican Republic says they were hit by a big wave before she vanished.

www.yahoo.com

Interesting that he’s stating that he didn’t have his phone, either. Maybe that’s just what they do-give friends who aren’t intending to go swimming their phones…one last thoughtful responsible action that they’d already adopted on the trip?

 

[imstilla.grandma]

"It took me a long time to get her out. It was difficult," Riibe said, Noticias SIN reported. He further continued that he was trained as a lifeguard, but worked at pools, not at the beach.

"I was trying to get her to breathe the whole time. That didn’t allow me to breathe all the time, and I swallowed a lot of water. I could have lost consciousness several times. When I finally reached the ground on the beach, I held her in front of me," he added.

"The last time I saw her, I asked if she was OK. I didn’t hear her answer because I started vomiting up all the seawater I had swallowed."

"After vomiting, I looked around, and I didn’t see anyone. I thought she had grabbed her things and left," Riibe said. "I felt very sick and tired. I lay down on a beach chair and fell asleep because I couldn’t go far," he added.
When questioned about seeing Konanki after that night, Riibe responded, "After I saw her walk away while she was walking in the water, I never saw her again."

Joshua Riibe, detained in Indian-origin Sudiksha Konanki's disappearance, under 'irregular conditions,' says his family - The Times of India

US News: Joshua Riibe, a person of interest in the disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student, is being held in the Dominican Republ

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

 

[priyaya]

"It took me a long time to get her out. It was difficult," Riibe said, Noticias SIN reported. He further continued that he was trained as a lifeguard, but worked at pools, not at the beach.

"I was trying to get her to breathe the whole time. That didn’t allow me to breathe all the time, and I swallowed a lot of water. I could have lost consciousness several times. When I finally reached the ground on the beach, I held her in front of me," he added.

"The last time I saw her, I asked if she was OK. I didn’t hear her answer because I started vomiting up all the seawater I had swallowed."

"After vomiting, I looked around, and I didn’t see anyone. I thought she had grabbed her things and left," Riibe said. "I felt very sick and tired. I lay down on a beach chair and fell asleep because I couldn’t go far," he added.
When questioned about seeing Konanki after that night, Riibe responded, "After I saw her walk away while she was walking in the water, I never saw her again."

Joshua Riibe, detained in Indian-origin Sudiksha Konanki's disappearance, under 'irregular conditions,' says his family - The Times of India

US News: Joshua Riibe, a person of interest in the disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student, is being held in the Dominican Republ

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

you'd think someone would have seen the vomit on the beach when the sun came up

 

[TMich6811]

"It took me a long time to get her out. It was difficult," Riibe said, Noticias SIN reported. He further continued that he was trained as a lifeguard, but worked at pools, not at the beach.

"I was trying to get her to breathe the whole time. That didn’t allow me to breathe all the time, and I swallowed a lot of water. I could have lost consciousness several times. When I finally reached the ground on the beach, I held her in front of me," he added.

"The last time I saw her, I asked if she was OK. I didn’t hear her answer because I started vomiting up all the seawater I had swallowed."

"After vomiting, I looked around, and I didn’t see anyone. I thought she had grabbed her things and left," Riibe said. "I felt very sick and tired. I lay down on a beach chair and fell asleep because I couldn’t go far," he added.
When questioned about seeing Konanki after that night, Riibe responded, "After I saw her walk away while she was walking in the water, I never saw her again."

Joshua Riibe, detained in Indian-origin Sudiksha Konanki's disappearance, under 'irregular conditions,' says his family - The Times of India

US News: Joshua Riibe, a person of interest in the disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student, is being held in the Dominican Republ

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

The delicate coffee cups in this video.

 

[Diddian]

Context and circumstances:

• Spring Break vacation.
• 2 very intoxicated young adults, sometimes vomiting.
• Although he reportedly had a steady girlfriend "back home," they appeared "paired up" with each other - his arm around her shoulders/waist - in the short video that has been released.
• While they walked to the beach in the company of the individual young adult male he was vacationing with and the group of young adult females that she was vacationing with, at some point, the two of them became separate from those individuals/that group and that individual and group returned to their hotel rooms without them.
• Unclear - but it has been reported that she did not have her phone with her, but that it was instead with her group of friends.
• Oceanfront with "red flags" posted, indicating dangerous waters.

Risks:

• Proximity of dangerous waters.
• Possible lack of light for witnesses to see.
• Judgment impaired by excessive alcohol and late hours.
  Limited familiarity with each other and ignorance regarding each other's "character."
• Possible incompatibility regarding sexual expectations.
• Limited, immodest clothing.
• He was much larger and likely stronger than she was.
• They were isolated from the people who knew them and could serve as protectors and/or witnesses.

They were BOTH in a risky situation relative to the dangerous waters, especially given that they were impaired in judgment and likely also in physical capability.

She ALONE was in a potentially risky situation being very drunk and completely alone and apparently paired up with a large and strong male that she did not know well. Depending on his character and level of impulse control (especially when highly intoxicated), it is possible that her well-being (and life) may have depended upon whether she would submit to his impulses.

The only thing we have been informed about his character is that he was reportedly "cheating" on his steady girlfriend by pairing up with someone romantically while on Spring Break vacation. (He wouldn't be the first and many do this without someone disappearing; however, it does reflect upon his character and honesty.)

I think that whatever her friends have to say about whether or not he was being abnormally "pushy" about pairing up with her and about touching her will be important. (ETA: Was he pushing boundaries before the two of them went off together?)

But I also think those who know much more about HIS history and patterns when in similar circumstances (parties, Spring Break) are those whose speculations about what happened are likely most reliable. (Even if that knowledge likely could not be admitted as evidence in court.)

 

[Pharmasgirl]

I don’t understand what you mean. No we don’t know for certain. I said the cameras picked them up so there was power for the cameras. Likely the cameras would have picked up someone leaving the area with her.

We know he came back with no shoes and no shirt because it’s on camera.

I did not see where it was stated that the cameras were on (and had electricity) at the time and had picked him up returning to the hotel. Reports had been electricity was on and off at times. Sorry for the confusion IF the electricity was on, the cameras would have picked up someone else leaving the area with her in this scenario.

 

[Diddian]

"It took me a long time to get her out. It was difficult," Riibe said, Noticias SIN reported. He further continued that he was trained as a lifeguard, but worked at pools, not at the beach.

"I was trying to get her to breathe the whole time. That didn’t allow me to breathe all the time, and I swallowed a lot of water. I could have lost consciousness several times. When I finally reached the ground on the beach, I held her in front of me," he added.

"The last time I saw her, I asked if she was OK. I didn’t hear her answer because I started vomiting up all the seawater I had swallowed."

"After vomiting, I looked around, and I didn’t see anyone. I thought she had grabbed her things and left," Riibe said. "I felt very sick and tired. I lay down on a beach chair and fell asleep because I couldn’t go far," he added.
When questioned about seeing Konanki after that night, Riibe responded, "After I saw her walk away while she was walking in the water, I never saw her again."

Joshua Riibe, detained in Indian-origin Sudiksha Konanki's disappearance, under 'irregular conditions,' says his family - The Times of India

US News: Joshua Riibe, a person of interest in the disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student, is being held in the Dominican Republ

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

BBM. Someone else here posted about the oddity of this statement. Was he "pre-splaining" his body relative to hers in case a witness had seen something?

It is very odd. And after saying "...I held her in front of me," his very next statement places much distance between them: "The last time I saw her, I asked if she was OK. I didn't hear her answer because..."

Shared near death experience and then "I never saw her again" (nor did he ask about her or report her missing).

Hinky meter high.

 

[keek]

Even in knee deep water you can be knocked down by a wave and pulled out with the current, especially if intoxicated.

My thought and belief that is what happened.

 

[Whiteorchids]

One would have to ask them how they saw him come back in the hotel with no shirt or shoes. We DONT know ANYTHING for certain…

I saw the videos he left with tank top and sneakers came back alone no shirt and no sneakers

 

[imstilla.grandma]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1900985678067900663

 

[cocomonkey]

The law and crime video I linked last night, was quoting from a translated transcript of the police interview with Riibe. So I think we do have an idea what he has told LE.

Apparently in the first three police interviews there were different translators used for each. The claim is that they translated things slightly differently. Think of the saying "lost in translation." What I mean is that we have not heard the exact words he said in English. That is his language and mine. I think that for us to be certain of what he said each time we would have to have heard that.

 

[cocomonkey]

I believe in innocent until proven guilty but I agree the story does seem off (if it’s been translated properly). If you had nearly drowned and was struggling to breathe because of a rip tide, would you go back into the water after being saved? I would be keeping well clear of it. MOO.

I don't think he was saying that she was going back to the water. I think he meant that they were swept out to sea, both struggling for their life, when they got back to the "beach", perhaps where their feet could touch the sand, he was further in than her. He had performed his lifesaving move bringing her in, had lungs full of seawater and was vomiting. He could see her in knee height water walking in the direction of where their clothes were. He continued vomiting and recovering from the ordeal and effects of alcohol. When he looked for her she was gone and he assumed back to her hotel. He collapsed in exhaustion on the beach where he woke up the next morning.

 

[Judy Sleuth]

Apparently in the first three police interviews there were different translators used for each. The claim is that they translated things slightly differently. Think of the saying "lost in translation." What I mean is that we have not heard the exact words he said in English. That is his language and mine. I think that for us to be certain of what he said each time we would have to have heard that.

I also wonder whether that parroted phrase that the Daily Mail article reported - 'My lawyers advise me not to answer that question and I follow their advice' - is something that his lawyers taught him to say in Spanish. That phrase sounds so stilted to me, that I wonder if there's a translation effect going on there. It seems the info on this case comes from the local police to the DR news agency, and then is translated to English by...whom? Google? Someone on the Daily Mail staff? Someone on the DR news staff? So many options in this game of "telephone" for info not to be correct by the time we Web Sleuths are reading it.