Last Person To See Missing VA Student Free To Go Home, Judge Rules

Updated at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — After the family of missing college student Sudiksha Konanki from Loudoun County said they believe accounts that she drowned in the ocean while in the Dominican Republic, the last person to see her alive has been cleared to return to the U.S.

Konanki's parents have asked Dominican Republic authorities to declare her dead, according to Virginia authorities.

A judge in the Caribbean country ruled Tuesday that Minnesota college student Joshua Riibe is free to leave and return home. Riibe, 22, was identified as a person of interest in the March 6 disappearance of 20-year-old Konaki.

“I really want to be able to go home, talk to my family, give them hugs, tell them I miss them,” Ribbe told Judge Elvis Delgado during a hearing, according to Noticias SIN. “I understand I’m here to help, but it’s been 10 days and I can’t leave.”

The ruling to release Riibe came after lawyers argued over his ties to Sudiksha, who he swam with and said he helped rescue from dangerous waves before passing out. Lawyers for the government said Ribbe was never a suspect, but a witness in the case.

“Enough,” his father, Albert Riibe, told the judge, according to The New York Post. “It’s been 12 days.”

“Both sides of the authorities have shown us how high the ocean waves were at the time of the incident, and both sides of the authorities have clarified the person of interest was not a suspect from the beginning,” Sudiksha's father, Subbarayudu, told The New York Post. “It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that we are coming to terms with the fact our daughter has drowned.”

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday that Konanki's family suspects she drowned, and that declaring the death is up to the Dominican authorities. She was reported missing March 6.

Dominican Republic National Police spokesperson Diego Pesqueira indicated Konanki’s parents sent the agency a letter requesting a declaration of death, according to NBC Washington. Dominican Republic news outlet Noticias SIN published the letter, sent Monday, in its entirety.

The sheriff's office, which sent several members to the Dominican Republic to assist, says it continues to review evidence in the case and support the Konanki family.

"The disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki is tragic, and we cannot imagine the grief her family has been feeling," said Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman in a statement. "We have supported them throughout to ensure a rigorous, wide-ranging investigation. We have also met personally with them and continue to provide emotional support through our Victim Advocate Unit."

Sources told ABC News the family stated in the letter they understand that certain legal procedures must be followed for their request, but that they are prepared to provide any documentation that is necessary.

"Initiating this process will allow our family to begin the grieving process and address matters related to her absence," the letter stated. "While no declaration can truly ease our grief, we trust that this step will bring some closure and enable us to honor her memory."

Konanki, a 20-year-old from the Chantilly community of Loudoun County, is a pre-med University of Pittsburgh student who went to a resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on March 3 with five friends for spring break. Konanki is a citizen of India and a permanent U.S. resident, leading U.S. authorities and the Indian Embassy to get involved with the search.

Joshua Riibe, a St. Cloud State University student from Iowa, is believed to be the last person to see Konanki. As reported by People magazine, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office identified Joshua Riibe as a person of interest.

Riibe is not officially a suspect, but his passport has been confiscated by Dominican Republic authorities and is escorted by police anywhere he goes. The new letter from Konanki's parents said the investigation found no evidence of foul play, and the person of interest was cooperating.

Surveillance footage showed Riibe and Konanki with a group heading to the beach around 4:15 a.m. on March 6, CNN reported. In a statement sent to the Associated Press, the Riu Republica Hotel said Konanki’s disappearance coincided with a power outage that prompted multiple guests to head to the beach.

Surveillance cameras showed five women and one man leaving the Punta Cana beach around 4:55 a.m., which authorities believe left Konanki alone with the person of interest. In a transcript of his conversation with police reported by the New York Post, Riibe said he pulled Konanki and himself out of the surf when it became rough.

According to the report originally shared in Spanish by Noticias SIN, Riibe and Konanki were talking and kissing in waist-deep water when the ocean become too rough. Riibe told police he had Konanki under his arm while heading back to the beach, but it took effort to fight against the rough waters.

Riibe told police he got them to a less rough area in the water, and Konanki said she was retrieving her items that the ocean had moved. However, Konanki was still in water up to her knees.

"The last time I saw her, I asked if she was okay," the transcript read, according to a translation by WTOP. "I didn’t hear her answer because I started vomiting all the seawater I’d swallowed. After I vomited, I looked around, didn’t see anyone, and thought she’d grabbed her things and left."

According to the New York Post, Riibe didn't answer eight of the Dominican police's questions, including what he told his friend about the missing college student, if Konanki knew how to swim, if he notified the hotel about the incident, and what he thought of Konanki's disappearance. Dominican police told NBC that there were no indications of violence at the beach.

Dominican Republic Ministry of Justice sources told ABC News that Riibe's lawyers have requested a habeas corpus hearing to challenge what they consider an unlawful detention. In the Dominican Republic, detained individuals are required to be brought before a judge within 48 hours, or they must either be charged or released.

According to WTOP, Riibe's parents released a statement sharing "deep sorrow and solidarity with the family of Sudiksha Konanki during this painful time," and a desire to help find her. The statement said Riibe "is deeply dismayed by her disappearance" and has cooperated with the investigation.

Since Konanki went missing, the search area has widened. Authorities have been investigating drowning as a possible cause of the student's disappearance. Search and rescue teams continued to look for the missing student around areas with coral reefs, the Dominican news outlet Noticias SIN reported. WTOP noted that four people drowned and two others were saved from the water earlier this year at the same resort Konanki was at.

Konanki's father, Subbarayudu Konanki, and a friend, Ramprakash Krishnamanaidu, previously called for a broadened investigation to look into causes like abduction or other foul play, WTOP reported. The record of complaint noted that she left behind personal items like her phone and wallet with friends.

INTERPOL issued a worldwide missing person alert for Konanki on Wednesday after a request from the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. The INTERPOL alert describes Konanki as a 20-year-old Indian woman about 5 foot 2 and 138 pounds with black hair, brown eyes and three piercings on her right ear.

Anyone with information in the case may contact the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office at 703-777-1021. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Loudoun Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919.

The Associated Press and Patch editor Eric Heyl contributed to this report.