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

[imstilla.grandma]

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Initially, Mr Riibe gave multiple versions of events.

Version 1: He vomited, saw her standing, and assumed she left.
Version 2: He felt sick, left the water, and last saw her in knee-deep water.
Version 3: He saw her walking along the shore before he passed out

All About Joshua Riibe, Man Last Seen With Missing Indian-American Student Sudiksha Konanki

Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old Indian-American student, vanished while on a spring break trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

www.ndtv.com

 

[Bahshudc]

Isn't this a little strange?

What to know about the search for the missing University of Pittsburgh student

"Konanki’s family traveled to Punta Cana to aid in search efforts but returned to Virginia. They declined to comment on the search."

P.S still working on timeline, will post ASAP @Warwick7

 

[Warwick7]

Found her flip flops and white cover she was wearing.

Indian-origin student Sudiksha’s clothes found on beach chair where she went missing - WIC News

Authorities from the Dominican Republic, USA, and India are working tirelessly to uncover evidence that could lead to a final verdict in Sudiksha's case.

wicnews.com

"Then she went to collect her belongings because the ocean had moved them."

Officials interview key witness in disappearance of college student Sudiksha Konanki

New details are emerging in the case of a college student from Virginia who went missing in the Dominican Republic over a week ago.

www.fox5dc.com

1. No. She didn't go and collect her things because the ocean moved them. The above link shows they were found at the resort on lawn chairs.

2. "...asked if she was okay. I didn’t hear her response because I started vomiting..."

If he couldn't hear her say she was ok or not, how did he hear her say she went to collect her belongings"??

 

[Bahshudc]

Okay, I've read through as many articles as possible and this seems to be the most accurate timeline of events. There are a few YouTube videos etc. that claim differently, but I've tried to take info from the most reputable sources. Please let me know if I've missed anything or written something wrong.

• 03/03/25 Konanki and five friends flew to the Dominican Republic, stayed in a resort in Punta Cana.
• 05.03.25 01.27 — Power outage at SK’s hotel. Power was restored to 70% of the facility about 2 hours later.
• 06/03/25 02.13 — Power in hotel fully restored.
• 06/03/25 03.00 — SK seen drinking on CCTV with 5 women and 2 men in the lobby.
• 06/03/25 04.05 — SK seen on CCTV vomiting outside the bar before walking back in. JR is also seen vomiting outside.
• 06/03/25 04.15 — After spending time at a bar, SK, JR and 6 other people walk to the beach. 2 women did not go to the beach. JR puts his arm around SK.
• 06/03/25 04.55-05.05 (msn.com reports 06.00)— (Approx) Everyone apart from JR and SK leave the beach (5 women and 1 man). JR claims a wave hit him and SK on the beach, she was swept away. He threw up and slept on a beach chair. 2 of the women didn't go swimming, SK and JR did. Claims they kissed in the water.
• 06/03/25 05.50 - SK last seen on the beach with JR
• 06/03/25 08.54 OR 10.00 — JR returns to the resort, barefoot and shirtless.
• 06/03/25 16.00 — (Approx) SK’s friends report her missing
• 06/03/25 17.43 — SK’s father files missing person report with Loudoun County Sheriffs Office.
• 07/03/25 ~ — Allegedly friends go to pick up JR’s belongings from the beach but his shoes and key card were stolen.
• 10/03/25 ~ — Dom. Rep. Police say on X that they are re-interviewing people who had been with SK and employees.
• 12/03/25 ~ — JR named as a person of interest, interviewed by police
• 15/03/25 ~ — SK’s belongings seemingly found sprawled on a beach chair (flip flops and netted shawl)

 

[Bahshudc]

"Then she went to collect her belongings because the ocean had moved them."

Officials interview key witness in disappearance of college student Sudiksha Konanki

New details are emerging in the case of a college student from Virginia who went missing in the Dominican Republic over a week ago.

www.fox5dc.com

1. No. She didn't go and collect her things because the ocean moved them. The above link shows they were found at the resort on lawn chairs.

2. "...asked if she was okay. I didn’t hear her response because I started vomiting..."

If he couldn't hear her say she was ok or not, how did he hear her say she went to collect her belongings"??

I think he means that the ocean had actually moved SK and himself, rather than moving her possessions, if that makes sense? They'd likely been pulled a while away from where they'd initially entered the water, so I believe he means she walks back in the direction of her deck chair after being pulled left or right form the current. MOO.

 

[cujenn81]

"Then she went to collect her belongings because the ocean had moved them."

Officials interview key witness in disappearance of college student Sudiksha Konanki

New details are emerging in the case of a college student from Virginia who went missing in the Dominican Republic over a week ago.

www.fox5dc.com

1. No. She didn't go and collect her things because the ocean moved them. The above link shows they were found at the resort on lawn chairs.

2. "...asked if she was okay. I didn’t hear her response because I started vomiting..."

If he couldn't hear her say she was ok or not, how did he hear her say she went to collect her belongings"??

I think he was saying the ocean had moved them — as in himself and SK. When you get caught up in a rip current or tossed around in the ocean by large waves, a lot of the time you end up way farther down the shoreline than where you entered the ocean.

 

[Judy Sleuth]

"Then she went to collect her belongings because the ocean had moved them."

Officials interview key witness in disappearance of college student Sudiksha Konanki

New details are emerging in the case of a college student from Virginia who went missing in the Dominican Republic over a week ago.

www.fox5dc.com

1. No. She didn't go and collect her things because the ocean moved them. The above link shows they were found at the resort on lawn chairs.

2. "...asked if she was okay. I didn’t hear her response because I started vomiting..."

If he couldn't hear her say she was ok or not, how did he hear her say she went to collect her belongings"??

Argh - again with the conflicting translations by those reporting this story in media outlets.

We have here (bold by me) a quote from the second article linked in post #726 by Fox5 in Washington, DC, that ".. she went to collect her belongings because the ocean had moved them" (her belongings). In the article, the reporter gives this as a direct quote from JR. (Sleuth Warwick7 is just cutting and pasting perfectly from the article; it's not Warwick7's translation or interpretation).

Yet in the nbcwashington post I harped on earlier (posts #704 and originally in #694) we have his quote being given - by that reporter - as "Then she went to gather her belongings, since the sea had moved us" (the two people).

Okay, I'll get off my soap-box now, but this inaccuracy has got to be playing havoc with the thoughts and emotions of those who care about SK and JR but who have no other source of info than the news. I can't imagine either of their families having the time right now to straighten out or follow up on the concern, panic, or anger of aunts, uncles, neighbors, college friends, etc. who aren't in a direct communication loop with the police. And I wonder how often the families are getting detailed updates from the police? I can't imagine that this is the only case being worked right now, either in the DR or in Loudoun County.

 

[Deleted member 356433]

Here are my thoughts concerning the statement that JR made about him sleeping at the beach after his blackout.

Were there any confirmation that anyone saw him passed out on the beach that morning?

If someone saw him passed out on the beach, did anyone check to see if he was OK?

Was he at the edge of the water or away from the water, and was he face down or face up when he was passed out?

What is the hotel's policy regarding someone on the beach that is drunk and passed out?

Do they let that person sleep it off or is emergency services contacted regarding an unconscious person on the beach?

I'm thinking that the hotel would be concerned about potential liability issues concerning a person that is passed out on the beach.

So, I am really, really pale and despite being half Italian, lack all ability to tan—when details about JR passing out for four hours on the beach at sunrise started to come out, along with the release of images of him from hotel CCTV returning from the beach alone, my knee jerk reaction was to think about how badly this moderately pale kid from Iowa must have gotten sunburned. I don’t mean to come across as callous: I am routinely stopped by well intentioned strangers on sunny days who offer an unsolicited caution that I put on sunscreen, so UV radiation risk is just a part of my day to day.

So it seemed easy, in my mind, to be able to corroborate or refute his claim that he was unconscious for four hours on a beach lounge, because he would either have a sunburn consistent with the position he passed out in, or he wouldn’t.

There are so many sources making reports on this story (many major news outlets in the US still misreport his age as being 24) and I wasn’t there in person to inspect his body for sunburn severity and distribution, but I was able, fairly quickly, to find at least one article in which the reporter described JR (sort of offhandedly) as being very sunburned.

To another good point you probed, I came across testimonials of people who had vacationed at the hotel in question and one theme that came up more than once related to beach safety had to do with the party culture promoted by the hotel. Certain features of the hotel policies and entertainment culture, were cited among other reasons for making this beach dangerous. Something about plying spring breakers with alcohol on a beach with no lifeguard, is the way my brain paraphrased it and stored it away.

In recent days, even after the disappearance of SK, reports have stated that the wild and crowded atmosphere on the beach at that hotel has continued without any real abatement.

There are no lifeguards on duty at that beach and unfortunately, I suspect that signs that someone on the beach has become deeply inebriated or passed out, mst often do not attract attention in a way that increases safety on the beach for everyone.

I wanted to reply to this in part to bump the questions you are asking because I would love to find out the answers and I think the questions are important

 

[BOBON]

Drowning/near death experiences can cause confusion, hallucination and brain injury ( to name a few). I think it would be possible this young man regained consciousness on the beach from near drowning, vomited and was confused enough to think she was walking there, when in reality no one was there. It could be that she was still in the water but in his mind, he perceived his environment differently.

"Following this painful feeling, many report peaceful perceptions, hallucinations, diminished pain and even euphoria."
(Drowning - Wikipedia)

 

[minazoe]

NY Post is reporting a turning point..could be meaningless..I don't have time to read it at the moment! but check it out..mOO!

 

[Deleted member 356433]

Argh - again with the conflicting translations by those reporting this story in media outlets.

We have here (bold by me) a quote from the second article linked in post #726 by Fox5 in Washington, DC, that ".. she went to collect her belongings because the ocean had moved them" (her belongings). In the article, the reporter gives this as a direct quote from JR. (Sleuth Warwick7 is just cutting and pasting perfectly from the article; it's not Warwick7's translation or interpretation).

Yet in the nbcwashington post I harped on earlier (posts #704 and originally in #694) we have his quote being given - by that reporter - as "Then she went to gather her belongings, since the sea had moved us" (the two people).

Okay, I'll get off my soap-box now, but this inaccuracy has got to be playing havoc with the thoughts and emotions of those who care about SK and JR but who have no other source of info than the news. I can't imagine either of their families having the time right now to straighten out or follow up on the concern, panic, or anger of aunts, uncles, neighbors, college friends, etc. who aren't in a direct communication loop with the police. And I wonder how often the families are getting detailed updates from the police? I can't imagine that this is the only case being worked right now, either in the DR or in Loudon County.

“Them” = her belongings. Fox News quote is grammatically sound and doesn’t qualify as a conflict of translations for a few reasons. JR,s account was given in English and reported in English by both of the news outlets you are comparing. True, “them” is open to interpretation in the first quote but I think the conflict in your mind is actually just a function of how you interpreted each statement in those two different articles. The only things that make these two reports seem to contradict each other are your own post quote “translations” that you put in parentheses. That said- I totally dig your soap box because even though it’s not true in this specific instance, your statement about how much contradictory, incorrect, and unsubstantiated information is being churned out is spot on! And good that someone is calling this out because you’re so right about how reckless it is to subject family and friends who are suffering and confused to that kind of cruel media version of a terrible game of “telephone”

I am pro soap box.

 

[CityKid]

Not really anything new in the latest NYP story. He was questioned until 3am.
Per the story, "Joshua Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, was interrogated by Dominican Attorney General Yeni Berenice Reynoso and Navy Vice Admiral Agustin Morillo Rodriguez until nearly 3 a.m., the Spanish-language outlet Noticias SIN reported."

Authorities turn up the heat on ‘person of interest’ in Sudiksha Konanki case after revealing he’s ‘in custody’ in DR

Authorities in the Dominican Republic are turning up the heat on the Iowa man who was the last person to see University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki before she went missing — grilling him…

nypost.com

 

[Bahshudc]

NY Post is reporting a turning point..could be meaningless..I don't have time to read it at the moment! but check it out..mOO!

Authorities turn up the heat on ‘person of interest’ in Sudiksha Konanki case after revealing he’s ‘in custody’ in DR

Authorities in the Dominican Republic are turning up the heat on the Iowa man who was the last person to see University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki before she went missing — grilling him…

nypost.com

 

[Bahshudc]

The only new piece of info I saw, unless I missed it before, is that Sudiksha made 2 Venmo payments the afternoon before her disappearance. This probably doesn't mean much IMO.

 

[katydid23]

Trying to wrap my head around in what situation I AM SO DRUNK, THAT I COULD CONCEIVABLY gather my thoughts and say LETS GO FOR A SWIM Anyone else

Growing up in coastal California---that exact thing happens a lot. Often late at night, drunk and stoned, HEY LeT"S GO In The WaTER

 

[Deleted member 356433]

Drowning/near death experiences can cause confusion, hallucination and brain injury ( to name a few). I think it would be possible this young man regained consciousness on the beach from near drowning, vomited and was confused enough to think she was walking there, when in reality no one was there. It could be that she was still in the water but in his mind, he perceived his environment differently.

"Following this painful feeling, many report peaceful perceptions, hallucinations, diminished pain and even euphoria."
(Drowning - Wikipedia)

Yes to this. Clinically, JR’s account is consistent with a condition termed “non-fatal drowning.” Vomiting up saltwater and passing out from exhaustion are both telltale signs of this situation and are normally indications for seeking immediate medical attention. I’ve tried to find literature on the potential psychological effects associated with a non-fatal drowning but don,y know enough to report yet. That said, I planned on shifting my focus instead to the acute psychological effects of what I believe JR experienced that day in the ocean: being suddenly swept out to sea with a young woman he had just met, panicking and fighting for his life, and being the only one to survive. That’s a traumatic experience and the pathophysiology of drowning aside, the acute effects of this profound trauma could potentially explain why his behavior since that morning has seemed illogical, bizarre and at times suspicious. Acute shock, fear, immaturity, and being in a foreign land could all be at work.

 

[Warwick7]

"PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic — An American linked to the disappearance of a University of Pittsburgh student has been spotted by NBC News with investigators, his father and his attorney on a beach in Punta Cana in the early hours of Sunday morning."

American linked to missing student spotted on beach with investigators in Punta Cana

Joshua Riibe spoke exclusively to NBC News, saying 'I’m just trying to help them out.'

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Bahshudc]

Something I'm wondering: They all went to the beach together, and likely sat together. Their chaise lounges would've been close together, especially JR and Sudiksha's. So, JR sees his shoes and socks were missing, but didn't see Sudiksha's belongings on the chair next to him?

JMO

 

[Dee10]

Authorities turn up the heat on ‘person of interest’ in Sudiksha Konanki case after revealing he’s ‘in custody’ in DR

Authorities in the Dominican Republic are turning up the heat on the Iowa man who was the last person to see University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki before she went missing — grilling him…

nypost.com

From your link, I haven't seen this picture. That is very dense foliage or a spot of jungle!