'Person Of Interest' Named In PA College Student's Disappearance

PITTSBURGH, PA — Authorities in Virginia have identified a 24-year man as a person of interest in connection to University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki's disappearance last week in the Dominican Republic.

As the investigation into Konanki's disappearance continued on Wednesday, Loudon County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Thomas Julia confirmed to People on Wednesday that Joshua Riibe was a "person of interest" in the case. No charges have been filed in what Julia characterized as still a missing persons case and not a criminal one.

A source close to the investigation told DailyMail.com that Riibe, a former high school wrestler from Iowa, was the last person to see Konanki on a beach before she vanished on March 6. According to the Daily Mail, Dominican authorities currently are in possession of his passport.

Konanki, 20, of Ashburn, Virginia and a citizen of India, was one of six Pitt students on a spring break trip to Punta Cana. Authorities over the weekend said they were investigating that possibility that she drowned, a theory that the sheriff's office has labeled as speculative.

"Sheriff [Michael] Chapman wants to make sure the investigation is comprehensive and includes all possible assets and techniques," Julia told Fox News Digital. "We are working closely with the FBI on all of this, and they are working with the Dominican National Police."

CNN reported on Monday that around 5:55 a.m. on March 6, surveillance cameras captured five women and one man leaving a Punta Cana beach. Konanki stayed behind with a man. Video shows the man leaving the beach area at 9:55 a.m. with no sign of Konanki.

The record of complaint sought by the missing student's family said she left behind personal items like her phone and wallet.

Konanki's clothes were discovered on a portable beach bed near the beach where she went missing. Police have found no evidence of violence.

According to ABC News, the man who was with Konanki told police that he and Konanki went swimming and got caught by a big wave. The man reportedly told police that when he got back to the beach he vomited and went to sleep on a beach bed. When he woke up, Konanki was nowhere to be seen.

The five people seen in the video with Konanki have been interviewed twice, the Dominican Republic National Police said in a statement.

"Employees of the hotel where the young woman and her companions were staying are also part of this process in order to gather information that allows corroboration of their movements, interactions and any relevant data in this search process," the statement said.