Dominican authorities investigating the disappearance of spring breaker Sudiksha Konanki may have already obtained an arrest warrant for American Joshua Riibe, a leading criminal lawyer exclusively tells DailyMail.com.
Riibe, the last person to see University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha alive, issued a stunning challenge to prosecutors Monday when his attorneys filed a writ of habeas corpus.
They will try to persuade a judge that it was unlawful to snatch the 22-year-old’s passport and ban him from leaving Punta Cana when he wasn’t under arrest or charged with a crime.
But the pivotal hearing, scheduled for 2pm Tuesday, will be moot if the former high school wrestler from Rock Rapids, Iowa has been charged with an offense by the time it begins.
High-profile civil rights attorney Felix Portes is not involved in the case but he’s sparred with Yeni Berenice Reynoso, the glamorous and highly regarded Attorney General of the Dominican Republic, on numerous occasions.
She likely has more cards to play – including the possibility of a criminal negligence charge which carries a two-year jail sentence – before the high stakes court showdown, predicts Portes.
‘They said they were treating him [Riibe] as a witness, but in reality, he’s a person of interest.
‘You don’t take a witness’s passport away and you don’t keep your witness in a room guarded by police,’ explained Portes, best known to American audiences for representing rapper Tekashi69 after he was arrested in the Dominican Republic for a 2023 assault.
PHOTO CREDIT: El Diario Libre
Sudiksha Konanki vanished from the Riu Republica resort in Punta Cana last Thursday
High-profile civil rights attorney Felix Portes is not involved in the case but he’s sparred with Yeni Berenice Reynoso, the glamorous and highly regarded Attorney General of the Dominican Republic, on numerous occasions
‘The prosecutor is trying to show the world that he’s there voluntarily but that’s not the case. His liberty has been restricted so he’s not free.
‘The judge is going to be presented with these arguments by the defense and if he agrees, Riibe will walk free immediately. Take it to the bank, that’s what will happen.
‘I’ve dealt with the Attorney General for 15 years and I don’t think she’s going to want to look bad in front of the international media.
‘I’m pretty sure she already has an arrest warrant. She probably wanted to wait for the investigation to evolve before she executes it. Once she does so, she only has 48 hours before he has to be arraigned.’
Tuesday’s hearing comes after Sudiksha’s parents asked Dominican authorities to formally declare their daughter dead 11 days after her disappearance.
Subbarayudu and SreeDevi Konanki said in a letter to the National Police: ‘While no declaration can truly ease our grief, we trust that this step will bring some closure and enable us to honor her memory.’
In the letter they noted that Riibe has fully cooperated with police and believe there is no evidence of foul play.
Following the family’s request Loudon County Sheriff Michael Chapman stated: ‘The disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki is tragic, and we cannot imagine the grief her family has been feeling.
Joshua Riibe is seen being questioned by authorities in Punta Cana. The 22-year-old has had his passport confiscated, but is yet to be named a suspect
New footage Sudiksha Konanki in the hotel lobby hours before she vanished. The missing Pittsburgh student hasn’t been seen since the morning of March 6
‘Sudiksha’s family has expressed their belief that she drowned. While a final decision to make such a declaration rests with authorities in the Dominican Republic, we will support the Konanki family in every way possible.’
But Dominican officials fear a worst-case scenario where they let Riibe leave the country only to locate Sudiksha’s corpse with signs of foul play.
The US and Dominican Republic have an extradition treaty but there would be little prospect of Riibe, a senior at St Cloud State University in Minnesota, being dragged back to face trial.
‘If he is let go and he goes to the United States, that’s it,’ says Portes, managing director of the Portes Nunez & Asociados law firm.
‘We have sent many people to the United States but there has never been a citizen of the United States extradited to the Dominican Republic to face criminal charges.
‘The United States is simply not in the habit of sending its citizens abroad to be judged by a foreign justice system.’
Over the course of six or seven interviews he has recalled how the spring break sweethearts waded into the ocean after drinking and kissing before they were hit by a massive wave.
He says he dragged Sudiksha back to shallower, knee-deep water but lost sight of her as he vomited and passed out on a sun lounger.
‘After vomiting, I looked around. I didn’t see anyone. I thought she had grabbed her things and left,’ he told prosecutors, according to a transcript leaked to local outlet Noticias SIN.
An 11-day search by land, water and air – the biggest missing person inquiry in the history of the Dominican Republic – has failed to find any trace of her.
If Reynaldo does decide to arrest Riibe rather than risk him walking free Tuesday, she could opt for some sort of negligence charge, according to Portes.
Article 319 of the Dominican Republic penal code makes it a crime punishable by between three months and two years in prison for someone who ‘through clumsiness, negligence or failure to observe regulations, commits manslaughter.’
Surveillance video footage obtained by Dominican Republic news outlet Noticias SIN showed Joshua Riibe (left) and Sudiksha Konanki (second from left) following their friends to the beach at the Riu Republica Hotel before Konanki disappeared March 6
Portes told DailyMail.com: ‘When you cause damage or take someone’s life because of your negligence that can result in up to two years in jail.
‘But it’s hard to predict the charge because I don’t know what evidence they have gathered.
‘It’s a difficult and complex case due to the fact that there’s no body. If there’s no body, you cannot have an autopsy.
‘The autopsy is the only way you can determine if it was a natural death or if it was an intentional, criminal death. The videos don’t show any assault.
‘When he gave those interviews, he didn’t want to answer eight or more questions. And he was very incoherent in some of the responses.
‘It shocked me, for example, that he says he played the hero and brought somebody back to the shore but didn’t finish the job.
‘Nevertheless, the burden of proof is on the prosecutor – always.’
Meanwhile, a never-before-seen photo showed the person of interest in the disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki being questioned by authorities at a Dominican Republic police station.
Riibe, 22, wore a colorful short-sleeve button down shirt while he stared at the camera in a picture that was obtained by El Diario Libre newspaper.
The release of the shocking picture comes as Riibe is fighting for his freedom after having his passport confiscated in the Dominican Republic.
The outlet reports that authorities have also been analyzing the surveillance camera systems of hotels near the Riu Republica Hotel as part of the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of the 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh junior.
Riibe’s attorneys filed a writ of habeas corpus with a court in the province of La Altagracia, demanding to go before a judge to challenge his detention.
A hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday.
It was initially reported that Riibe was going to visit the Attorney General’s Office in Higuey to be interviewed by Claudia Garrido, the interim prosecutor for the province of La Altagracia.
However, Noticias SIN outlet indicated that Garrido would question the St. Cloud State University student at the hotel, where he is holed up.
Riibe has not been charged, nor has he been formally named a suspect in Sudiksha’s disappearance.
But his confusing and contradicting statements to police about what happened on the night Konanki vanished have led to raised eyebrows.
Riibe was the last person to be seen with Sudiksha shortly before 5am on March 6th. They had gone to the beach after a night of drinking with friends.
He told police that the pair went for a swim and were knocked out by a large wave. He claimed he used his lifeguard training to drag her back towards the shore, but that the last time he saw her she was waist deep in water.
He managed to get out and passed out on a sun bed, he said. Sudiksha was never seen again.
Experts say the story is unlikely and that her body would have washed up by now if she’d drowned.
In a statement to NBC overnight, Riibe said: ‘I’m just trying to help them out. The ocean is a dangerous place.’
‘The Rock Rapids community stands behind and supports Joshua Riibe and his family,’ the statement said. ‘The Riibe family moved to town in 2015 and has been active in various school and community events and organizations.
Sudiksha Konanki disappeared from a beach at the Riu Republica Hotel in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on March 6. Authorities in the Caribbean country believe she may have drowned
‘They are well known and loved.’
The statement, which was released by the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office on behalf of the family’s friends, described Riibe as being devoted to ‘his faith’ and always ‘showing kindness to others.’
‘He exemplifies the values of compassion, respect and integrity that are fundamental to our church and our community.’
Surveillance camera footage from the all-inclusive five-star hotel showed both Riibe and Konanki vomiting at a bar at 4:05 am on March 6 before they walked to the beach.
A second camera spotted 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.
Riibe was peppered with over 50 questions last Wednesday and told a prosecutor that he and Konanki had kissed in the ocean before they almost got swept away by a wave.
He also said he saved her from drowning while almost losing consciousness.
But under the guidance of his attorneys, Riibe refused to reply to several questions, with the prosecutor probing him over how they could be sure what he was saying was truthful.
Riibe was also questioned if he knew if Sudiksha 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.
Each time he replied: ‘My lawyers advise me not to answer that question and I follow their advice’, before going silent.
