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

[ellel]

It could be possible that if the US Embassy were to issue a new passport for Joshua Riibe, it may not be a duplicate passport but a special one way passport that allows him to return to the United States.

I was thinking that even though Joshua Riibe hasn't been charged with a crime, he inadvertently caused an international incident and the US State Department may decide to revoke his current passport in light of the incident that he was involved in.

Duplicate. Deleted

 

[GXP Sleuther]

Did JR account of what happened to the muscle shirt he was wearing as well as the shoes he had on before leaving with SK?

 

[Lalalacasbah]

Yes, im wondering, too. This article says:

“Officials told ABC News late Tuesday Riibe will no longer be under police surveillance in the Dominican Republic but will not get his passport back.

A judge will issue a ruiling on March 28.”

Man who last saw Sudiksha Konanki reportedly returns to United States

The person officials believe was the last seen with University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki will no longer be under police surveillance but, will remain overseas, one day after Konanki's family asked officials to declare their daughter deceased after she went missing in the Dominican...

www.wtae.com

If so, then he still can’t leave. Until the 28th, 10 more days?!

I am curious if they will be watching him closely (surveilling him from afar) now that he's free to roam for possibly 10 days there.

If he did anything to her, he may go back to places he/hey might've went other than the beach for those lost hours. Hypothetical of course if he's guilty of something, all JMO MOO

 

[Only4Justice]

This may be what the parents wish, a stop to the media attention, the talk, videos, and speculations. There MAY be a cultural aspect here.
Sudiksha is more than likely deceased. Very tragic, she had so much promise. May she rest in peace.

I am just catching up. In all the years I have followed missing, murdered people, I have NEVER seen a family giving up so fast! 10 days?? Wow.

I agree with you @whitelilac Rest in Peace beautiful girl

 

[Ghostwheel]

I am curious if they will be watching him closely (surveilling him from afar) now that he's free to roam for possibly 10 days there.

If he did anything to her, he may go back to places he/hey might've went other than the beach for those lost hours. Hypothetical of course if he's guilty of something, all JMO MOO

I have to say, considering the amount of CCTV type surveillance, any person who might have committed any crime and was set free to wander about for 10 days would be pretty darned stupid to do anything more than sit in their room. JMO, of course, but if I were in those stolen shoes and especially innocent of any crime, I would not be able to function anyway.

 

[Only4Justice]

I’m not sure if this has been mentioned, but maybe JR did some party drugs and doesn’t want that revealed. He may be worried about his college life, any scholarships, etc.

It could by why his stories are jumbled and disjointed. He is omitting those types of things.

Just an theory no proof. All IMO.

 

[Only4Justice]

I was surprised to read the family is making these steps. Usually we see families clinging to hope long after the rest of us have accepted the grim reality.

I wonder if this family is privy to more info than has been released.

I am convinced there is something more to this.

Notwithstanding cultural differences, It is just not human nature to give up So quickly. And especially with no remains to bury, etc.

IMO.

 

[Only4Justice]

About alcohol blackouts - they exist in a full "en block" form and also in "fragmentary" from, i.e., "brownouts".

Blackout (drug-related amnesia) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

I suspect that JR had a "brownout" with confabulations that are strangely typical for alcohol use.



These poor parents. Their daughter and they are criticized by the Indian community in India.

The other side: Ginnette Bournigal, a senator of Puerto Plata and the president of the  Senate Tourism Commission, blamed it all on "drinking and hookup culture". Which is not only horribly insensitive towards Sudiksha and her parents. It is irrational - sorry, but most travel to the DR for "all inclusives". You don't blame the tourists for being attracted to the touristy attractions.

Not only this, the parents are criticized by young Asians here in the US by being "strict Asian parents." Which we don't know either, i think they were loving parents who tried to do the best.

So I guess it falls on us all to say that we understand, and feel compassion and sympathy for Sudiksha's parents. They likely did the best they could. Sudiksha grew up in the US. She was planning to be a doctor. So, a smart girl. A beautiful girl, too.

I think that her parents are following the logic (and tbh, the chance of SK being alive is slim). And, they are following the rites that are important.

In my view, a 20-year-old girl who went for a vacation with a group of other girls. Given that there was a blackout in a hotel, is it surprising that they were overserved? Probably everyone went to a bar. Is it easy to overdrink at 20? For sure. We all have been there. The rest is understandable. Disinhibited by alcohol, flattered by attention of another student, going to the seashore with a group. Nothing wrong IMHO.

We don't quite know what happened there, but Sudiksha didn't hurt anyone, it is obvious. Just a tragic situation for a young woman. I suspect she trusted that huge guy JR who probably overestimated his "lifeguard" qualities. She made a mistake. Whether JR was a coward and doesn't want to acknowledge it, or he had an "alcoholic brownout" and doesn't remember, one of the two, I think.

Best of wishes to her parents.

To the Dominican Republic - to undo the insensitive words of your Senator Bournigal, try your best to find Sudiksha.

Excellent post @Charlot123. Worth repeating.

 

[eurekaa]

I am just catching up. In all the years I have followed missing, murdered people, I have NEVER seen a family giving up so fast! 10 days?? Wow.

I agree with you @whitelilac Rest in Peace beautiful girl

Some cultures do think very differently from the West. Waiting for the physical remains is not as significant when they believe the spirit/soul has already left. There is a bigger issue in not allowing the spirit to leave by not performing the final rituals. It creates a sort of torturous state of limbo for the spirit. They must have felt that it's time to let go - there's nothing nefarious about their position. People grieve differently.

 

[Herat]

Some cultures do think very differently from the West. Waiting for the physical remains is not as significant when they believe the spirit/soul has already left. There is a bigger issue in not allowing the spirit to leave by not performing the final rituals. It creates a sort of torturous state of limbo for the spirit. They must have felt that it's time to let go - there's nothing nefarious about their position. People grieve differently.

I can entirely understand wanting to start the grieving process that will release her soul. I think her family has acted in a very forthright and responsible manner and need to find healing and closure through their faith.

 

[Angelcat13]

About alcohol blackouts - they exist in a full "en block" form and also in "fragmentary" from, i.e., "brownouts".

Blackout (drug-related amnesia) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

I suspect that JR had a "brownout" with confabulations that are strangely typical for alcohol use.



These poor parents. Their daughter and they are criticized by the Indian community in India.

The other side: Ginnette Bournigal, a senator of Puerto Plata and the president of the  Senate Tourism Commission, blamed it all on "drinking and hookup culture". Which is not only horribly insensitive towards Sudiksha and her parents. It is irrational - sorry, but most travel to the DR for "all inclusives". You don't blame the tourists for being attracted to the touristy attractions.

Not only this, the parents are criticized by young Asians here in the US by being "strict Asian parents." Which we don't know either, i think they were loving parents who tried to do the best.

So I guess it falls on us all to say that we understand, and feel compassion and sympathy for Sudiksha's parents. They likely did the best they could. Sudiksha grew up in the US. She was planning to be a doctor. So, a smart girl. A beautiful girl, too.

I think that her parents are following the logic (and tbh, the chance of SK being alive is slim). And, they are following the rites that are important.

In my view, a 20-year-old girl who went for a vacation with a group of other girls. Given that there was a blackout in a hotel, is it surprising that they were overserved? Probably everyone went to a bar. Is it easy to overdrink at 20? For sure. We all have been there. The rest is understandable. Disinhibited by alcohol, flattered by attention of another student, going to the seashore with a group. Nothing wrong IMHO.

We don't quite know what happened there, but Sudiksha didn't hurt anyone, it is obvious. Just a tragic situation for a young woman. I suspect she trusted that huge guy JR who probably overestimated his "lifeguard" qualities. She made a mistake. Whether JR was a coward and doesn't want to acknowledge it, or he had an "alcoholic brownout" and doesn't remember, one of the two, I think.

Best of wishes to her parents.

To the Dominican Republic - to undo the insensitive words of your Senator Bournigal, try your best to find Sudiksha.

Very well said!

 

[Only4Justice]

did he even have Suki's phone number or room number? did he even remember her last name? I don't know if he had a super bad sunburn got totally drunk and nearly died..I'm thinking he's just recovering..thinking he will sleep some more and find her at the club later in the day or evening..

I don't know but still I want to know the currents specifically for the timeframe. and if something did come in, which way would it have pushed her in the water? was she wearing jewelry? would the tiger sharks totally zero in on her and drag her somewhere or devour her? how long would it take them to do this? are there dive teams accessing the reef?

they need to focus on retrieving her...and following up on leads because supposedly there have been some leads called in. could be nothing , could be something.

on this supposedly quiet night on the water ( even though the day was bad)...supposedly quiet...so how was it later on? in the early morning before they started to search? could later riptides and currents have pulled her further out?

I'm sad about this story, mOO

Me too @minazoe. Very sad. All in God’s timing. You never know when you’ll be called to Heaven (my belief).

All IMO

 

[scriabina]

In this Fox 5 Washington video, it's stated that Riibe testified that SK's parents hugged him before they left, and that they thanked him for trying to save their daughter. With no corroboration of his account whatsoever (at least not that's been publicly released), that's surprising to me.

 

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[Charlot123]

It's equally unreasonable to believe someone so drunk could avoid drowning after being pulled out to sea, let alone heroically swim against a strong current while carrying an adult as JR described.

Also, I've seen a lot comments stating that there's no way JR could have carried her off somewhere and successfully hidden her on land. While that is very likely true, I haven't seen many people consider the fact IF JR assaulted SK, he may have dumped her lifeless body out to sea, and then, exhausted and shocked by what happened (I doubt it was premeditated), he blacked out/fell asleep.

I don't think he would've been doing calculations about the tide and the probability that her body would wash up ashore. Drunken, sleep-deprived, and panicked, his first instinct would be to leave the body in the ocean or even try to swim out with her as far as possible. That would have been exhausting, and he very well may have almost drowned trying to do it. So his story about almost drowning and vomiting up seawater could've contained lots of truths.



If a struggle/assault happened in the water, it would be easy for a big burly wrestler to hold SK's head underwater until she drowned, and no one would hear a peep.

Exactly -- if sober people are drowning during daylight, imagine how miraculous it would be for a drunk person to survive while also playing lifeguard in darkness.


I think the authorities were doing a thorough investigation and were suspicious of JR until SK's parents made it clear they don't want further investigation. Now we may never know what happened. I know I'm in the minority here, but I don't feel confident that JR is as innocent as he claims.

I see your point, but without the body, with no witnesses and the person who last saw her being drunk and in an alcoholic brownout, there is not much to do. The resort didn’t have cameras on the beach, didn’t have a beach guard, there are no witnesses, what can one do? Unless they find the body, the case is not moveable. Theoretically, given that they had five drownings/near-drownings since January, it is quite possible that SK has drowned. I don’t think they’ll stop looking for the body, though. I am continuing to follow the case.

 

[Cryptic]

Clumsiness? That sounds very odd as something that would be considered manslaughter IMO.

It might be an in exact translation of another concept.

 

[Cryptic]

I have to say the way Josh has been treated is pretty disgusting.

I thought he was treated very professionally by the Dominican police and legal system:

Yes, he was not allowed to just jet out of the country after being the last person seen with a missing woman and having a garbled story (stories). Rather, he was:

- Detained- not in a jail, but in a pretty comfy hotel room. The detention was evidently in accordance with Dominican law. Not all countries have identical laws to the US 72 hour habeus corpus law.

- Allowed to obtain legal representation. Though he was subjected to long interrogations, evidently US police interrogations can last for hours as well depending on the circumstances.

- The Dominicans followed their own legal rules. He was given hearings when required. A judge, not say, a police officer had the final decision as to whether he should be freed.

- When the judge ruled against the State, the Dominican authorities obeyed the judge.

 

[Pseudonymph]

It may seem like the family is giving up, but given the religious issues, that's their decision and they must be making it with more information than we have. Also, in the extremely unlikely event she shows up alive, death certificates can be reversed. But we do not have all the information. Police release exactly what they want to and nothing more. For all we know there are more witnesses. I believe his story. It has the ring of truth to it because who would make up such a stupid story, making yourself look like an idiot with no alibi? He had a drunken hookup, he went in the water, he half-drowned, and he passed out from inhaling water and the effects of alcohol. (There's also a possibility he had heat exhaustion or heat stroke from the sunburn, which causes nausea, dizziness, and disorientation.) He woke up feeling like hammered garbage, figured the cute girl had ditched his dumb sleeping self and gone back to the hotel, and didn't think anymore of it. It happens every single day in college and on spring break.

 

[Trebor5591]

During a break from the tribunal Noticias SIC interviewed various lawyers. It is extemporaneous and not legally possible to declare a death without a body or until 10 years have pa

This may be what the parents wish, a stop to the media attention, the talk, videos, and speculations. There MAY be a cultural aspect here.
Sudiksha is more than likely deceased. Very tragic, she had so much promise. May she rest in peace.

A declaration of death would be required for any sort of insurance payout IMO.

 

[TMich6811]

It may seem like the family is giving up, but given the religious issues, that's their decision and they must be making it with more information than we have. Also, in the extremely unlikely event she shows up alive, death certificates can be reversed. But we do not have all the information. Police release exactly what they want to and nothing more. For all we know there are more witnesses. I believe his story. It has the ring of truth to it because who would make up such a stupid story, making yourself look like an idiot with no alibi? He had a drunken hookup, he went in the water, he half-drowned, and he passed out from inhaling water and the effects of alcohol. (There's also a possibility he had heat exhaustion or heat stroke from the sunburn, which causes nausea, dizziness, and disorientation.) He woke up feeling like hammered garbage, figured the cute girl had ditched his dumb sleeping self and gone back to the hotel, and didn't think anymore of it. It happens every single day in college and on spring break.

I agree there is likely more information that is not publically known

I also feel like what has been released is both a lot and nothing at all and it feels very intentional. It redirected the narrative from being the beach/weather/any local fault. ETA - which they weren’t and there’s not anything wrong with redirecting the narrative to what happened but I dunno. Maybe it was just the media games that has made this feel extra targeting and yuck