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

[imstilla.grandma]

The new footage, obtained by CDN television, showed the 20-year-old Konanki vomiting at 4:05 am on March 6 before walking back to the bar at the Riu Republica resort in Punta Cana where she and 5 other friends had been staying.

Riibe is also captured in the video, with the 24 year old vomiting nearby while two men stood near him

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1171744261285613

Joshua Riibe was also picked up by a surveillance camera vomiting moments in front of a bar at the Riu Republica Hotel. The 24-year-old Iowa resident was the last person who saw University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki before she went missing after the went for a swim at a beach next to the resort

Missing student Sudiksha Konanki seen vomiting before disappearance

The disturbing clip also shows the man last seen with Konanki throwing up outside a bar in the Punta Cana resort where they had both been staying.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Judy Sleuth]

Looking at google earth surroundings, it looks like there's a net a few metres into the water?

View attachment 571333View attachment 571334

I would be surprised if that's actually a net. It seems more likely to me that it's a line of buoys connected by a rope, perhaps to mark the end of the shallow part of the swimming area. Or perhaps it marks some kind of boundary for boats and jet skis and such, to NOT get closer to the beach because people are swimming. Some folks on this thread have been to that beach. I hope they'll chime in with better info.

 

[Deleted member 356433]

Something extremely important that I have not heard or seen discussed so far just hit me like a ton of bricks. Has ANYONE who has conducted an analysis of existing information (including Riibe’s general narrative, certain features of his transcribed interview that are problematic, detailed data on sea conditions during the relevant date and time, failure to recover a body after this many days in spite of massive mobilization of resources which seem to have contributed to a timely and thorough search effort) considered the huge height difference between JR and SK? Like Konanki, I am a 5’3” woman. In the video of the group heading to the beach, much attention has been paid to SK’s level of intoxication, but what struck me is how small she looks, standing or clinging to JR in those moments, because JR is clearly much taller. I was raised on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in a city where surfing is a ubiquitous pastime. When you are 5’3”, being in any ocean with a group of friends can be tricky business. A very short wave that hits you in water that barely hits your knees is a submersible event. Your feet lose contact with the sandy bottom a lot sooner than other people, so while your friends may continue to laugh and splash around with ease, you have begun to tred water. What matters to me is this- the depth at which Josh Riibe would be “waist deep” in water would put Konanki in water above her chest level. Here is what I hope all you sleuths can help me consider: how does this significant difference in height play into Riibe’s description of events? If he almost drowned himself (“nearly lost consciousness”) and essentially began puking up seawater before collapsing out of exhaustion as soon as his feet hit the sand, or as soon as he was out of the surf enough to be totally in control and out of danger, how deep was that water? How deep was the water for Konanki? One does NOT travel fast or far without quite a bit of exertion when one is 5’3” and knee deep in the ocean. The discrepancy between their sizes, especially height but absolutely also general frame, would have impacted their experience that night so much that, we’re his story coming from real, unedited memory, there would have been evidence of it. The discrepancies in their sizes, fitness levels, and experience swimming (one had worked for three years as a lifeguard and was a strong swimmer) should have manifested in all sorts of subtle or obvious aspects of his story. IMO, the story he describes rings very true in a ton of ways IF you imagine that once a largewave hit, he immediately let go of SK and then needed every bit of his strength to fight for his own life and get to shore. I believe a lot of the details his shares are true— he was waist deep, a wave that was “big” by his standards hit (data says waves were around 5’ at that time in that location, and that he was pulled very quickly out to sea, causing him to start fighting against the rip current to survive, being so much in danger that he swallowed enormous amounts of water, almost lost consciousness, and barely avoided drowning. Vomiting up seawater and collapsing on the shore and passing out the way he describes is totally consistent with a near drowning experience. The parts of his story that make no sense are those parts where Konanki is supposedly present. Thoughts???

 

[Bigditch]

The new footage, obtained by CDN television, showed the 20-year-old Konanki vomiting at 4:05 am on March 6 before walking back to the bar at the Riu Republica resort in Punta Cana where she and 5 other friends had been staying.

Riibe is also captured in the video, with the 24 year old vomiting nearby while two men stood near him

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1171744261285613

Joshua Riibe was also picked up by a surveillance camera vomiting moments in front of a bar at the Riu Republica Hotel. The 24-year-old Iowa resident was the last person who saw University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki before she went missing after the went for a swim at a beach next to the resort

Missing student Sudiksha Konanki seen vomiting before disappearance

The disturbing clip also shows the man last seen with Konanki throwing up outside a bar in the Punta Cana resort where they had both been staying.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Thanks for reposting. I found the vid a bit grainy, but if it is them I suspect they were drugged, or the booze was high test. She dies on the beach.

 

[Deleted member 356433]

I would be surprised if that's actually a net. It seems more likely to me that it's a line of buoys connected by a rope, perhaps to mark the end of the shallow part of the swimming area. Or perhaps it marks some kind of boundary for boats and jet skis and such, to NOT get closer to the beach because people are swimming. Some folks on this thread have been to that beach. I hope they'll chime in with better info.

News reports related to the January drownings of tourists at that beach during red flag conditions contain information about the existence of safety nets installed by the row of hotels in that immediate area specifically to curb the number of drowning related fatalities or emergencies experienced by hotel guests who enter the ocean at that location. In fact, the day four tourists staying at the same hotel as Riibe and Konanki drown at the beach behind their hotel, another tourist swept out to sea at the same ti e was caught by the net and survived. Interesting, right?

 

[Deleted member 356433]

Something extremely important that I have not heard or seen discussed so far just hit me like a ton of bricks. Has ANYONE who has conducted an analysis of existing information (including Riibe’s general narrative, certain features of his transcribed interview that are problematic, detailed data on sea conditions during the relevant date and time, failure to recover a body after this many days in spite of massive mobilization of resources which seem to have contributed to a timely and thorough search effort) considered the huge height difference between JR and SK? Like Konanki, I am a 5’3” woman. In the video of the group heading to the beach, much attention has been paid to SK’s level of intoxication, but what struck me is how small she looks, standing or clinging to JR in those moments, because JR is clearly much taller. I was raised on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in a city where surfing is a ubiquitous pastime. When you are 5’3”, being in any ocean with a group of friends can be tricky business. A very short wave that hits you in water that barely hits your knees is a submersible event. Your feet lose contact with the sandy bottom a lot sooner than other people, so while your friends may continue to laugh and splash around with ease, you have begun to tred water. What matters to me is this- the depth at which Josh Riibe would be “waist deep” in water would put Konanki in water above her chest level. Here is what I hope all you sleuths can help me consider: how does this significant difference in height play into Riibe’s description of events? If he almost drowned himself (“nearly lost consciousness”) and essentially began puking up seawater before collapsing out of exhaustion as soon as his feet hit the sand, or as soon as he was out of the surf enough to be totally in control and out of danger, how deep was that water? How deep was the water for Konanki? One does NOT travel fast or far without quite a bit of exertion when one is 5’3” and knee deep in the ocean. The discrepancy between their sizes, especially height but absolutely also general frame, would have impacted their experience that night so much that, we’re his story coming from real, unedited memory, there would have been evidence of it. The discrepancies in their sizes, fitness levels, and experience swimming (one had worked for three years as a lifeguard and was a strong swimmer) should have manifested in all sorts of subtle or obvious aspects of his story. IMO, the story he describes rings very true in a ton of ways IF you imagine that once a largewave hit, he immediately let go of SK and then needed every bit of his strength to fight for his own life and get to shore. I believe a lot of the details his shares are true— he was waist deep, a wave that was “big” by his standards hit (data says waves were around 5’ at that time in that location, and that he was pulled very quickly out to sea, causing him to start fighting against the rip current to survive, being so much in danger that he swallowed enormous amounts of water, almost lost consciousness, and barely avoided drowning. Vomiting up seawater and collapsing on the shore and passing out the way he describes is totally consistent with a near drowning experience. The parts of his story that make no sense are those parts where Konanki is supposedly present. Thoughts???

High yield: What about their huge difference in height??? They couldn't both be waist deep in the ocean at the same time!!!

 

[Cryptic]

And the question phrasing of "young Sudiksha" was strange to me. This is a serious case. SK is not a child; she's a missing adult.

The use of the word "young" might be an instance where the translator used a literal word equivalent instead of a context word equivalant.

The Spanish word 'joven / jovena' literally means "young" in English. But..... in context, it is probably closer to the English word "youth".

Thus, it can apply to a broad range of people from say, 14-22 or so, depending on the speaker. For example: The youths / jovenes went to the rock concert.

In defense of translators, a near 100% translation of a conversation can be very difficult and usually requires somebody who bilingual and also bi cultural. Such a person might not be available to the police at this moment.

For example, I have a learned fluency in Spanish. Once on this forum, myself and a Hispanic forum member translated portions of a badly written manifesto by a Mexican murder suspect.

My translation of one mangled sentence was: "I went to see XXXX. "XXXX" was an unusual last name. Ok, I thought- The suspect suddenly went to see somebody with a weird last name- seems out of context.

Hispanic's cultural translation: "I just went "Rambo". "

My translation was not bad- well, in the technical sense. Hers, however was accurate in the cultural sense. There was a big difference.

 

[Bigditch]

News reports related to the January drownings of tourists at that beach during red flag conditions contain information about the existence of safety nets installed by the row of hotels in that immediate area specifically to curb the number of drowning related fatalities or emergencies experienced by hotel guests who enter the ocean at that location. In fact, the day four tourists staying at the same hotel as Riibe and Konanki drown at the beach behind their hotel, another tourist swept out to sea at the same ti e was caught by the net and survived. Interesting, right?

Can you provide source? Sounds interesting.

 

[JenniferTx]

I hope they find her alive somewhere out at sea. So much time has gone by but I believe in miracles. (That is the positive thinking side of my brain)
The other side I don’t want to go into that side yet. I’m still trying to figure out how this isn’t an accidental drowning.

 

[katsrfun]

No, I do not think that is a truthful account of what happened that night.

I don't believe that either. If she just got rescued from the water, the last thing she would want to do is go back in the water, let alone find the strength to do so. When it happened to me I was exhausted for three days, and to this day, years later I am very reluctant to go in the ocean, and mostly don't, even though I love the ocean and love looking at it and the waves, I prefer a swimming pool to swim these days. MOO. Katt

 

[Angelcat13]

How many times have we on WS seen where the last person to have seen a missing person was the person who was later found to have been involved in the disappearance? I don't blame the police for interviewing him 4 times. Passed out from a night of heavy drinking is a shaky excuse for changing stories, IMO.

I certainly do not blame police for taking a hard look at the guy or questioning him multiple times as these are all things that should be done. If he did have anything to do with her disappearance/death, I hope he is prosecuted to the full extent of the law. However, if he didn’t have anything to do with it and was just a party to this all because of partying more than he (they) should have, I feel for him because I can imagine his life and how he feels will never be the same.

 

[acutename]

Regarding possible interpretation issues; because of the tourism in the DR, they understand English fine, maybe not as fluent as Mexico for hotel staff. However where the DR relies heavily on tourists, police, etc. will have bilingual professionals. As an example, there was a couple from NY that went missing a few years ago and there was rampat theories and rumors that speculation went on for weeks and rightly so... It was found this couple didn't realize how long it took to get to the airport, left late for the trip & possible the driver was impaired and the DR took it very seriously (there economy relies on vistors and IIFC they drove off a cliff & were driving perhaps or cutting their drive to the airport too close too make their flight or possibly impaired from interviews published earlier that day. When the vehicle was discovered, there was at least one additional vehicle was found I followed that case and felt the DR really took the case very seriously/invested and I expect the same in this case.

I can't remember the year, but it was a couple that was from NY and you will see how the DR handled that case if you're interested because it was all over the news, IDK for at least a couple weeks for sure.

this case:

2 bodies found confirmed as New York couple missing in ...​

ABC News
https://abcnews.go.com › story


It was on WS and they found one of the bodies but without ID... it was complicated.


Apr 10, 2019 — Orlando Moore, 43, and his girlfriend, Portia Ravenelle, 32, both of Mount Vernon, vanished on the morning of March 27, the day they checked out of the Grand ...

 

[acutename]

He said he has a steady girlfriend back home sounds like he was drunk and wanted a hook up, not good character, he might have tried and she resisted being drunk can bring out the absolute worst in people I’ve seen it. I wonder if anything was put in her drink like a roofie, I think his stories sound sus. I still have to presume he’s innocent but maybe we will never know unless we find her

would not like to be his GF IMO

 

[Charlot123]

Something extremely important that I have not heard or seen discussed so far just hit me like a ton of bricks. Has ANYONE who has conducted an analysis of existing information (including Riibe’s general narrative, certain features of his transcribed interview that are problematic, detailed data on sea conditions during the relevant date and time, failure to recover a body after this many days in spite of massive mobilization of resources which seem to have contributed to a timely and thorough search effort) considered the huge height difference between JR and SK? Like Konanki, I am a 5’3” woman. In the video of the group heading to the beach, much attention has been paid to SK’s level of intoxication, but what struck me is how small she looks, standing or clinging to JR in those moments, because JR is clearly much taller. I was raised on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in a city where surfing is a ubiquitous pastime. When you are 5’3”, being in any ocean with a group of friends can be tricky business. A very short wave that hits you in water that barely hits your knees is a submersible event. Your feet lose contact with the sandy bottom a lot sooner than other people, so while your friends may continue to laugh and splash around with ease, you have begun to tred water. What matters to me is this- the depth at which Josh Riibe would be “waist deep” in water would put Konanki in water above her chest level. Here is what I hope all you sleuths can help me consider: how does this significant difference in height play into Riibe’s description of events? If he almost drowned himself (“nearly lost consciousness”) and essentially began puking up seawater before collapsing out of exhaustion as soon as his feet hit the sand, or as soon as he was out of the surf enough to be totally in control and out of danger, how deep was that water? How deep was the water for Konanki? One does NOT travel fast or far without quite a bit of exertion when one is 5’3” and knee deep in the ocean. The discrepancy between their sizes, especially height but absolutely also general frame, would have impacted their experience that night so much that, we’re his story coming from real, unedited memory, there would have been evidence of it. The discrepancies in their sizes, fitness levels, and experience swimming (one had worked for three years as a lifeguard and was a strong swimmer) should have manifested in all sorts of subtle or obvious aspects of his story. IMO, the story he describes rings very true in a ton of ways IF you imagine that once a largewave hit, he immediately let go of SK and then needed every bit of his strength to fight for his own life and get to shore. I believe a lot of the details his shares are true— he was waist deep, a wave that was “big” by his standards hit (data says waves were around 5’ at that time in that location, and that he was pulled very quickly out to sea, causing him to start fighting against the rip current to survive, being so much in danger that he swallowed enormous amounts of water, almost lost consciousness, and barely avoided drowning. Vomiting up seawater and collapsing on the shore and passing out the way he describes is totally consistent with a near drowning experience. The parts of his story that make no sense are those parts where Konanki is supposedly present. Thoughts???

If the tide was high or the waves, strong, it would have made a total sense. You are hit by the wave, maybe submerged and swallow the water, then try your best to swim out. I can imagine that he tried to save himself, maybe it didn't even feel like "where is she?" at that time because he himself was drowning. Understandable. And he probably did vomit when he got ashore. Swallowed salty water, no fun.

I just don't understand how come he didn't call for help. He couldn't forget that she was there. He probably sobered up fast.

So, no one can blame him for trying to save himself, it is a reflex. But to walk away? Not to ask for help?

 

[Deleted member 356433]

You should check out the trip advisor reviews for Riu Republica DR for a larger sample size because I only went back about ten years, but the specific topic of extreme risk of drowning appears in hotel reviews over and over with consistent unchanging details independently mentioned by random vacationers over the months and decade Just an interesting alternative source and way to augment anecdotal evidence

 

[Deleted member 356433]

It all makes sense. And if the tide was high or the waves, strong, it would have made a total sense. You are hit by the wave, maybe submerged and swallow the water, then try your best to swim out. I totally understand that he tried to save himself, maybe it didn't even feel like "where is she?" at that time because he himself was drowning. Understandable. And he probably did vomit when he got ashore. Swallowed salty water, no fun.

I just don't understand how come he didn't call for help. He couldn't forget that she was there. He probably sobered up fast.

So, no one can blame him for trying to save himself, it is a reflex. But to walk away? Not to ask for help?

 

[acutename]

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.)

has anyone even said whether she could swim (in an ideal non-alcohol impaired state?)

 

[Dee10]

this case:

2 bodies found confirmed as New York couple missing in ...​

View attachment 571352
ABC News
https://abcnews.go.com › story


It was on WS and they found one of the bodies but without ID... it was complicated.


Apr 10, 2019 — Orlando Moore, 43, and his girlfriend, Portia Ravenelle, 32, both of Mount Vernon, vanished on the morning of March 27, the day they checked out of the Grand ...

Thank you for finding this case, because it show how the much the Domincan Republic cares/takes serious about tourists.

 

[acutename]

IMO there's some credence here. It would appear he took his shoes and shirt off and she took her cover-up off, intending to get into the water.

Sober, it would be hard to battle the force of riptides...

I think he came out of the water in a very different place than he went in, maybe looked in the morning for his things but couldn't find them.

The story he tells sounds more like what he wished he would have done, but I'm not sure he can when remember exactly what happened. Not impossible that they did get caught in the undertow and he did try to save them both, before losing grip and then fighting a very real battle to get himself to shore. He may have experienced real fatigue...

I'm giving every benefit of the doubt.

Could be a terrible, terrible accident. If you're caught in a riptide, you don't want your only hope to be a wasted lifeguard who may have barely saved himself.

Whatever happened, how ever it happened, two young people could have lost their lives. Tragic that she lost hers. Devastating loss for her family, friends...

JMO

one thing that is bothering me as I read this over- they always tell you that if you get caught in a rip tide, do not directly fight it. swim parallel and try to go to shore outside the rip. so neither of them knew that? (given they were so drunk, that they might have known nothing when this was happening and were just panicking, but...)

 

[Karin1974]

Just trying to sort some of this out in my head.
LE says they think she drowned.
She was seen swimming or at least on the beach with this young man that police have questioned. Did he tell LE she was still swimming when he left? Or she told him she was going swimming? That’s the only way I can think of that LE would tentatively conclude she drowned.
Why do they believe him?
I don’t know, it has a strong Natalee Holloway vibe to me. Young people vacationing and partying. Leave with locals. Culled from your friends. Now you’re dead.


Just my thoughts

IMO - I

YES The article says she left her phone with her friends (that's what anyone would do if going in the water)

Snipped....
....The complaint notes that the student’s belongings, including her phone and wallet, were left with her friends, “which is unusual because she always carried her phone with her.”

IMO - So if her friends had her phone, they should have at least waited for her to get out of the water & return her phone to her before leaving themselves. This is where I’m confused, who leaves their drunk friend at a beach with a drunk guy she just met & takes her phone with them & leaves? The guy is probably also on holiday, drinking, meets a cute girl, they kiss & spend time together but I find him far less responsible than her actual friends who should not have left that beach with her phone. MOO