The family of Josh Riibe, Iowa senior named as a person of interest in the disappearance of University of Pittsburgh student, Sudiksha Konanki insist he is innocent and would never hurt a fly amid mounting speculation as to his involvement.
The family of an Iowa university senior and former high school wrestling star alleged to have been complicit in the disappearance of a spring break pre-med student in the Dominican Republic have insisted that the 24 year old is innocent and that he would ‘never hurt a fly.’
Joshua Steven Riibe a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, was the last person to see Sudiksha Konanki, 20, before she went missing in the Dominican Republic in the early hours of March 6.
The family’s claims come amid mounting suspicion following Joshua ‘Josh’ Riibe’s seemingly contradictory accounts of what actually happened on the night Konanki went missing along with him being named as a person of interest by the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia where the missing student hails from.
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🇩🇴Otro video de la cámara de seguridad del hotel muestra con más nitidez cuando la joven india Sudiksha Konanki se dirigía a la playa con sus amigos antes de su desaparición el pasado jueves 6 de marzo en Punta Cana. pic.twitter.com/NgnEpltgAE
— 🇩🇴Sandra Acta 00 (@Sandra_Acta) March 12, 2025
Josh Riibe family and community rally to his support and defense
Nevertheless, members of Riibe’s tiny hometown of Rock Rapids, Iowa are standing behind the 24 year old, with the community adamant that Josh Riibe had nothing to do with the pre-med student’s disappearance or potential drowning death.
‘He’s a great kid. He wouldn’t hurt a fly,’ Riibe’s aunt, Theresa told the dailymail in an exclusive.
Added Josh’s long time, next door neighbor, Laurel Schreiver: ‘I bet my life on it, Josh did not hurt that girl.
‘I’ve known Josh since he was a young boy,’ she added. ‘There is no way he would harm her or have anything to do with her disappearance. I am in total shock at what I’ve read.’
Adding, ‘He was a good friend of my son’s growing up. He is a super good kid.
‘If he was drunk as I’ve read, that was not the smartest thing to do, but he’s in college on spring break.’
Schriever said she remembers him as being ‘friendly and a good student,’ reiterating, ‘There is no way he would have hurt the girl.’
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According to family, the former high school wrestler made it to the Iowa State championships. Riibe also played guard on his high school football team and competed in discus and shot put for track and field.
While being named as a person of interest in the case by Virginia authorities, investigators in the Dominican Republic said they believe Sudiksha drowned, reiterating that the 24 year old senior is not suspected of any crime.
Riibe was caught on surveillance video with Sudiksha and a group of her friends walking to the beach in Punta Cana around 4am on Thursday last week.
Her friends left two hours later to go back to their room, leaving Riibe and the University of Pittsburgh med student on the beach.
During questioning, Riibe went on to give seemingly conflicting accounts of what actually took place.
In one version of events, the 24-year-old told cops that he and Sudiksha went into the sea and were swept away by a wave.
He also told them that he felt sick so got out of the water and went back to his hotel room. The former wrestler also said that he fell asleep on the beach. He also told investigators that he ‘presumed’ Konanki had also safely made it out of the waters as well, without qualifying whether he had checked on her.
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*CIRCULA EN REDES SOCIALES. SUPUESTAMENTE LA JOVEN REPORTADA DESAPARECIDA,*
La Joven India Sudiksha Konanki era una joven muy alegré pic.twitter.com/86Rr0jvUYA
— noticias rd noticias rd (@DelBanbino) March 12, 2025
Why didn’t Iowa spring breaker go to the police?
The other story Riibe allegedly told the authorities was he saw Sudiksha walking along the beach with the water up to her knees in the direction of where she left her cover-up on a lounge chair.
Riibe was caught on camera returning to his room at 9:55am barefoot and without his shirt. At no point did Riibe approach authorities to voice concern as to Konanki’s whereabouts and concern following turbulent waters hours earlier.
The oddity and inconsistency of Riibe’s story led to one commentator on social media writing, ‘The guy saw her being swept away and didn’t alert anyone until 4 PM that day. How can someone be so heartless?’
Others meanwhile sympathised with the 24 year old, saying the incident was a case of two ‘drunk’ college students on spring break becoming caught up in a ‘tragic accident.’
Jensen Sánchez, a Civil Defense spokesman in the DR said: ‘According to the boy who was with her, the waves swept her away, but that is under police investigation.’
President Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic told reporters Monday: ‘We are concerned. The latest information we have from one of them, from the last person who was with the young woman, what he says according to the reports is that a wave, while on the beach, crashed into them.’
Sudiksha’s friends left for an excursion the following day and returned around 4pm. When they realized their friend hadn’t returned, they notified hotel staff and the authorities who launched the subsequent search.
To date the whereabouts of the 20 year old pre-med student continues to be unknown as the search for Sudiksha Konanki enters into its 7th day.
Riibe is still in the Dominican Republic where he has been joined by his father. It is thought local authorities are continuing to hold on to the senior’s passport.
Riibe is the second of three children born to Mike and Tina Riibe, both 46. They live in a five-bedroom, single-story, ranch-style home painted a vivid burgundy color and sitting next to a funeral home according to the dailymail.
Josh Riibe went to Central Lyon High School in Rock Rapids, a town of only 2,600 people. He then attended Southeast Technical College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he earned a land surveying scholarship before starting at St. Cloud State.
The National Police said Monday that a ‘high-level task force’ had significantly expanded the search, with enhanced participation from ‘the FBI and US Embassy liaison’.
They said they have been exhaustively analyzing security camera footage taken since Sudiksha and her friends arrived in the country.
Police are also re-interviewing everyone who was previously with Sudiksha, including hotel staff.
The FBI declined to detail its involvement in the case.
The disappearance of Konanki follows that of 3 other tourists who drowned earlier at the Punta Cana resort this year, with the body of only traveler turning up.
