Joshua Riibe left the upscale Dominican Republic resort the place Pitt scholar Sudiksha Konanki went lacking — and is combating to get his passport again so he can come dwelling to the US, in line with stories.
Riibe, 22, as soon as recognized as a “individual of curiosity” within the 20-year-old coed’s mysterious disappearance on March 6, is now staying elsewhere on the Caribbean nation, in the future after a Dominican decide dominated that he was “free to go away” after being beneath fixed police surveillance, Noticias SIN reported.
However the younger Iowan nonetheless doesn’t have his passport, regardless of conflicting stories from native media Tuesday surrounding Decide Edwin Delgado’s ruling after a heated court docket continuing.
Delgado granted Riibe’s request to get police off his again as a result of he has not been charged with wrongdoing, however the decide fell in need of ordering that his passport be returned, in line with new stories.
Noticias SIN mentioned Riibe’s legal professionals are actually combating to get his passport again, together with petitioning officers on the US embassy within the Dominican Republic for a brand new one, Listin Diario mentioned Wednesday.
Riibe’s legal professionals, reps for the DR and officers on the US embassy didn’t instantly reply to requests for touch upon the standing of the case on Wednesday.
The embassy has mentioned in current days that it was working to help Riibe and his household.
In the meantime, the outlet additionally reported that the seek for Konanki, a pre-med scholar on the College of Pittsburgh who disappeared throughout a spring break journey, has been scaled again.
Police mentioned Konanki and Riibe had been swimming on the resort’s seashore after partying on the resort bar within the early morning hours of March 6 after they encountered tough surf on the Punta Cana vacationer spot.
Riibe instructed authorities he pulled Konanki to security, requested if she was okay, then handed out on the seashore.
The subsequent day Konanki’s buddies reported her lacking, launching an enormous search that has lasted practically two weeks and has included native legislation enforcement personnel in addition to representatives from the FBI, US Division of Homeland Safety and the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Workplace within the coed’s hometown.
Dominican authorities didn’t rule out foul play and recognized Riibe as an individual of curiosity within the case — seizing his passport and confiscating his cellphone whereas retaining him beneath fixed surveillance.
At Tuesday’s court docket listening to, legal professionals for the federal government claimed he was by no means a suspect however reasonably an essential witness, and denied he was “in custody” — with Riibe’s legal professionals contesting the declare.
The listening to got here in the future after Konanki’s grieving dad and mom requested Dominican authorities to declare their daughter legally useless and to launch Riibe, saying they had been satisfied she drowned.
“Each side of the authorities have proven us how excessive the ocean waves had been on the time of the incident, and each side of the authorities have clarified the individual of curiosity was not a suspect from the start,” Subbarayudu Konanki, the lacking co-ed’s father, mentioned from the household dwelling in Virginia.
“It’s with deep unhappiness and a heavy coronary heart that we’re coming to phrases with the very fact our daughter has drowned,” he mentioned. “That is extremely tough for us to course of.”
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