Joshua Riibe fights to get passport back after leaving DR resort where Sudiksha Konanki went missing
Joshua Riibe left the upscale Dominican Republic resort where Pitt student Sudiksha Konanki went missing — and is fighting to get his passport back so he can come home to the US, according to reports.Riibe, 22, once identified as a “person of interest” in the 20-year-old coed’s mysterious disappearance on March 6, is now staying elsewhere on the Caribbean nation, one day after a Dominican judge ruled that he was “free to leave” after being under constant police surveillance, Noticias SIN reported.But the young Iowan still does not have his passport, despite conflicting reports from local media Tuesday surrounding Judge Edwin Delgado’s ruling after a heated court proceeding.Delgado granted Riibe’s request to get police off his back because he has not been charged with wrongdoing, but the judge fell short of ordering that his passport be returned, according to new reports.Noticias SIN said Riibe’s lawyers are now fighting to get his passport back, including petitioning officials at the US embassy in the Dominican Republic for a new one, Listin Diario said Wednesday.Riibe’s lawyers, reps for the DR and officials at the US embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the status of the case on Wednesday.
The embassy has said in recent days that it was working to assist Riibe and his family.Meanwhile, the outlet also reported that the search for Konanki, a pre-med student at the University of Pittsburgh who disappeared during a spring break trip, has been scaled back.Police said Konanki and Riibe were swimming at the resort’s beach after partying at the hotel bar in the early morning hours of March 6 when they encountered rough surf at the Punta Cana tourist spot.Riibe told authorities he pulled Konanki to safety, asked if she was okay, then passed out on the beach.The next day Konanki’s friends reported her missing, launching a massive search that has lasted nearly two weeks and has included local law enforcement personnel as w...