Tourist Joshua Riibe was held for four hours and grilled by the Dominican Republic’s top law enforcement official in the student’s biggest legal hurdle since the disappearance of missing spring breaker Sudiksha Konanki.
The Attorney General of the Republic, Yeni Berenice Reynoso, arrived at the Riu Republica hotel in Punta Cana Saturday afternoon to interview Riibe, the last person to see Sudiksha before she vanished on March 6.
The former high school wrestling champ, 24, has not been named as a suspect but has surrendered his passport and is living under round-the-clock police surveillance at the sprawling party resort.
He was summoned from his room around 3pm for yet another grueling round of questions. The session wrapped around 7pm.
The somber-faced Rock Rapids, Iowa native declined to answer questions earlier this week when DailyMail.com encountered him walking through the lobby with his father Mike, 46, and a police chaperone.
But in a subsequent statement, his parents Mike and Tina complained that their son was effectively being detained and was subjected to ‘irregular treatment’.
Riibe, 24, was seen on camera with University of Pittsburgh student Konanki. in the early hours of March 6 at the Riu Republica Resort in Punta Cana.
Tourist Joshua Riibe was grilled by the Dominican Republic’s top law enforcement official over the disappearance of missing spring breaker Sudiksha Konanki
University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki disappeared from the Riu Republica Hotel in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on March 6
The Attorney General of the Republic, Yeni Berenice Reynoso, grilled Riibe during a four hour session
Her disappearance has baffled officials and prompted cries from her parents to widen the frantic search for the pre-med student.
Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, claimed he had only just met the young woman when they decided to head to the beach, according to the transcript of his interview obtained by Noticias SIN.
Riibe told cops they had kissed in the ocean before they almost got swept away by a wave. He said he saved her from drowning while almost losing consciousness.
He refused to answer some questions however, with officers probing him over how they could be sure what he was saying was truthful.
Riibe was also asked about what he told his close friend about Konanki and what he thought about her disappearance.
Riibe was also asked if he knew if Konanki was able to swim, if she made any gestures or cries in the sea, if he called the cops or told the hotel, if he had told his friends about what happened and was also asked how he felt about the situation.
To all of those questions, he said: ‘My lawyers advise me not to answer that question and I follow their advice’, before going silent.
Surveillance footage showed Konanki vomiting at a bar inside the resort shortly before she disappeared.
CDN television obtained surveillance video that showed Sudiksha Konanki vomiting outside a bar at the Riu Republica Hotel the early morning of March 6 before she went to the beach next to the resort and disappeared
Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, claimed he had only just met the young woman when they decided to head to the beach
The disturbing clip also shows Riibe throwing up near an entrance to bar.
Separate security camera from the all-inclusive resort showed Riibe holding a cup and placing his arm around Konanki back as they trailed the group at 4:15 am.
At about 4:55 am, the hotel security camera system showed two of her friends returning to the hotel.
The same camera picked up another female friend accompanied by Johnson walking into the building at 5:05 am.
The surveillance camera would show Riibe, barefoot and shirtless, as he slowly walked back to his room at 8:54am with Konanki nowhere in sight.
The footage emerged as it was revealed that Riibe, 24, changed his story several times during a series of interrogations by authorities, People reported
In a lengthy statement shared with DailyMail.com on Friday, Riibe’s parents Tina and Albert ‘Mike’ Riibe expressed their ‘deep sorrow and solidarity’ with Konanki’s family and said their son is ‘deeply dismayed’ by her disappearance.
Joshua Riibe (pictured) was seen leaving the prosecutor’s office for the province of La Altagracia after he was peppered with over 50 questions about the disappearance of Pitt student Sudiksha Konanki
Her disappearance has baffled investigators in the Dominican Republic
‘Despite his full willingness to cooperate, Josh has been detained under irregular conditions and subjected to extensive questioning without the presence of official translators or legal counsel until Wednesday, March 12,’ the statement read.
‘He has remained in his hotel room under police surveillance and has been repeatedly taken to the police station since March 6, where he has been interrogated for long hours.
‘This situation has raised serious concern within his family, which has led us to retain legal counsel to initiate legal actions ensuring his safety and the protection of his rights throughout this process.’
