- A “person of interest” has been named amid the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh junior Sudiksha Konanki, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office told PEOPLE
- “He is a person of interest in what is still a missing person investigation,” police spokesperson Thomas Julia said in an email of 24-year-old Joshua Riibe. No charges have been filed in the case
- Konanki hasn’t been seen since going for an early morning beach walk on Thursday, March 6, during a spring break trip with friends to the Dominican Republic
A “person of interest” has been named amid the ongoing investigation into a 20-year-old college student’s disappearance in the Dominican Republic, authorities have said.
University of Pittsburgh junior Sudiksha Konanki — a resident of Virginia’s Loudoun County — was last seen in the early hours of the morning on Thursday, March 6, while walking on a beach at Riu Republica Resort in Punta Cana, the Dominican Civil Defense and a missing poster shared on social media previously confirmed.
Konanki — an Indian citizen — was traveling with a group of six other female Pittsburgh students, including one other Loudoun County resident, a spokesperson for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) previously told PEOPLE in a statement.
As the investigation into Konanki’s disappearance continued on Wednesday, March 12, LCSO’s spokesperson Thomas Julia confirmed to PEOPLE that 24-year-old Joshua Riibe was a “person of interest” in the case. Julia said that no charges have been filed.
“He is a person of interest in what is still a missing person investigation,” Julia said in an email. The spokesperson wasn’t able to comment on whether Riibe had been the last person to see Konanki on the beach the morning she went missing.
“Sheriff [Michael] Chapman wants to make sure the investigation is comprehensive and includes all possible assets and techniques,” LCSO’s Julia said, per Fox News Digital, adding, “We are working closely with the FBI on all of this, and they are working with the Dominican National Police.”
“Yes this is what Sheriff Chapman said and believes,” Julia added to PEOPLE in an email.
The update comes after sources close to the investigation told ABC News and Dominican news outlet El Nacional that the missing student’s clothes were found on a chaise lounge on the beach and noted there were no signs of violence.
Dominican police confirmed to PEOPLE that clothes had been found but did not share more details.
Konanki was last seen on video surveillance cameras with a group walking onto the beach around 4:15 a.m. local time on March 6, the Dominican Republic National Police said in a press release.
After most of the group left, Konanki stayed on the beach with one other person, ABC News reported, citing an investigative report from Dominican authorities.
She is believed to have subsequently drowned in the ocean after being caught by a big wave when she and the other person went for a swim, per the outlet — though that determination has been challenged as speculative by Loudon County authorities.
Sudiksha Konanki/Facebook
Police did not confirm the drowning aspect when contacted by PEOPLE, and the LCSO said in a statement that “there is no evidence or confirmation of a drowning at this time and the case is being aggressively investigated by U.S. law enforcement working with the Dominican national police, with support from assets here at home.”
According to police, Konanki’s body has yet to be recovered amid a “sea, air and land” search “in the entire periphery and surrounding areas, through the use of drones, helicopters, divers, boats, canine units and human personnel, among other technologies.”
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The missing woman’s friends have been questioned by police, but no charges have been filed, per ABC News.
Authorities said on Tuesday, March 11, that “outside of Konanki, her friends and the man that is being interviewed by police,” no other people are thought to be involved, per ABC News.
The FBI and U.S. Embassy International Liaison have joined in the investigation, Dominican authorities said in a press release. The Embassy of India in the Dominican Republic is also involved.