Authorities confiscate passport of man who last saw missing student Sudiksha Konanki

Dominican Republic Attorney General Yeni Berenice Reynoso interviewed the man, Joshua Steven Riibe, over the weekend for more than six hours and the questioning is expected to continue Monday with a local prosecutor, the source said.

Since Konanki first went missing in the early hours of March 6, Riibe, a 22-year-old from Rock Rapids, Iowa,and a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, has remained under police surveillance in the Dominican Republic. He has been taken to the police station for interrogation multiple times, his parents said in a statement.

 

Riibe is not considered a suspect in the case and has not been accused of wrongdoing.

CNN has contacted Riibe’s family attorney for comment.

Konanki, 20, disappeared from the beach of the Riu República Hotel in Punta Cana while on spring break.

Riibe told prosecutors he and Konanki were hit by an intense wave and were swept out to sea, according to Dominican news station Noticias SIN.

When asked whether he saw Konanki after that night on the beach, Riibe said, “After I saw her walk away while she was walking in the water, I never saw her again.”

Konanki’s sarong-style cover-up was found on a lounge chair on the beach, but there were no signs of violence, a source familiar with the investigation previously told CNN.

Ribbe was seen on the beach early Sunday morning walking with investigators, his father and his attorney, NBC reported.

Ribbe told An NBC reporter, “I’m just trying to help them out,” adding, “The ocean is a dangerous place.”

Dominican officials previously said they were investigating Konanki’s disappearance as a drowning, but prosecutors said last week officials are also investigating whether Konanki’s disappearance could extend “beyond a possible accidental event.”