The Iowa college student who was the last person to see University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki before she disappeared on a beach in the Dominican Republic has finally arrived back home.
Joshua Riibe, 22, returned to his family's home in the small town of Rock Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday afternoon, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.
His mother Tina Riibe exclusively told DailyMail.com that her son has been hit hard by Konanki's disappearance, and he has returned home in hopes of resting and recovering from the tragedy.
'It was a really sad situation. Josh is resting up right now,' she said.
Tina added that her family's thoughts are with Sudiksha and her loved ones, and said she would 'not give any interviews at this time out of respect for her family.'
She refused to comment if Josh was going back to St. Cloud State University where he is a senior studying land surveying.
‘We are keeping that to ourselves right now. It's been a long travel,' she added.
Sitting on the doorsteps of their three-bedroom, two-bathroom home, purchased for $119,000 in 2015, was a large box from famed Chicago pizzeria Lou Malnati's.
Tina Riibe, the mother of Iowa college student Joshua Riibe, told DailyMail.com he is back home resting after being questioned over a missing University of Pittsburgh student
Riibe, 22, returned to his family's home in the small town of Rock Rapids, Iowa, JetBlack on Saturday afternoon. He is seen in court in the Dominican Republic, where he was questioned as a person of interest, but has not been accused of being involved in Konanki's disappearance
Sudiksha Konanki was on a spring break getaway with a few of her friends when she vanished on March 6, and Riibe is believed to have been the last person to see her alive
Sources told DailyMail.com that after Joshua was briefly detained in Puerto Rico because of an issue of not having a departing stamp from the Dominican Republic on his newly issued passport, he spent the night in an airport hotel and flew back to the mainland the next day.
Riibe's return home comes days after he broke his silence on Konanki's disappearance.
The 22-year-old was the last person to have been seen with Konanki before she went missing from the Riu Republica Resort in Punta Cana in the early hours of March 6.
Following Konanki's disappearance, Riibe found himself at the center of the chaotic case and had his passport confiscated, forcing him to stay in the Dominican Republic under strict supervision.
Riibe was captured on surveillance video with Konanki and a group of her friends walking to the beach in Punta Cana around 4 am on March 6.
Her friends left two hours later to go back to their room, leaving Riibe and the med student alone on the beach.
Last Monday, Riibe was seen with investigators at the beach where Konanki was last seen, and he told NBC News at the time: 'I'm just trying to help them out.'
'The ocean is a dangerous place,' he added.
Riibe was seen talking to law enforcement at beach next to the Riu Republica Hotel in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic last Monday
The med student from Virginia was last seen with Riibe, who she was alone with on the beach after her friends left
Riibe was captured on surveillance video with Konanki and a group of her friends walking to the beach in Punta Cana around 4am on March 6
Riibe came under suspicion after reportedly giving various versions of his drunken night out with Konanki, but provided more insight in a further interview with investigators before he returned to the US.
The former wrestler said he and Konanki were 'in waist-deep water, talking and kissing a little,' according to a transcript of Riibe's discussion with police obtained by NBC.
He went on to claim a wave crashed and whisked them both out to sea. In other reported retellings, Riibe said he had gone back to his hotel room and that he fell asleep on the beach.
Riibe's family explained the conflicting accounts as being the result of a different translator being present at each of three police interviews.
In his last interview, Riibe said he and Konanki got swept out to see, saying: 'I kept trying to get her to breathe, but that didn't allow me to breathe all the time, and I swallowed a lot of water.'
Riibe, contrary to what he has previously stated, alleged he was able to bring Konanki to safety before she actually went missing, according to the reported transcript.
'When I finally reached the ground on the beach, I held her in front of me. She wasn't out of the water, she was knee-deep and walking at an angle out the water,' he explained.
The former wrestler said he and Konanki were 'in waist-deep water, talking and kissing a little,' according to a transcript of Riibe's discussion with police
'The last time I saw her, I asked if she was okay. I didn't hear her reply because I started vomiting all the water I had swallowed. After vomiting, I looked around. I didn't see anyone. I thought she had grabbed her things and left.'
He refused to answer some questions, with officers probing him over how they could be sure what he was saying was truthful.
Riibe was asked about what he told his close friend about Konanki and what he thought about her disappearance.
Investigators also questioned 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 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.
Investigators in the Dominican Republic said they believe she drowned, and while they have questioned Riibe, they have not said he is suspected of any crime.
Sudiksha KonankiIowa
Joshua Riibe, 22, returned to his family's home in the small town of Rock Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday afternoon, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.
His mother Tina Riibe exclusively told DailyMail.com that her son has been hit hard by Konanki's disappearance, and he has returned home in hopes of resting and recovering from the tragedy. 'It was a really sad situation. Josh is resting up right now,' she said.
Tina added that her family's thoughts are with Sudiksha and her loved ones, and said she would 'not give any interviews at this time out of respect for her family.'
She refused to comment if Josh was going back to St. Cloud State University where he is a senior studying land surveying.
‘We are keeping that to ourselves right now. It's been a long travel,' she added.
Sitting on the doorsteps of their three-bedroom, two-bathroom home, purchased for $119,000 in 2015, was a large box from famed Chicago pizzeria Lou Malnati's.
Tina Riibe, the mother of Iowa college student Joshua Riibe, told DailyMail.com he is back home resting after being questioned over a missing University of Pittsburgh student
Riibe, 22, returned to his family's home in the small town of Rock Rapids, Iowa, JetBlack on Saturday afternoon. He is seen in court in the Dominican Republic, where he was questioned as a person of interest, but has not been accused of being involved in Konanki's disappearance
Sudiksha Konanki was on a spring break getaway with a few of her friends when she vanished on March 6, and Riibe is believed to have been the last person to see her alive
Sources told DailyMail.com that after Joshua was briefly detained in Puerto Rico because of an issue of not having a departing stamp from the Dominican Republic on his newly issued passport, he spent the night in an airport hotel and flew back to the mainland the next day.
Riibe's return home comes days after he broke his silence on Konanki's disappearance.
The 22-year-old was the last person to have been seen with Konanki before she went missing from the Riu Republica Resort in Punta Cana in the early hours of March 6.
Following Konanki's disappearance, Riibe found himself at the center of the chaotic case and had his passport confiscated, forcing him to stay in the Dominican Republic under strict supervision.
Riibe was captured on surveillance video with Konanki and a group of her friends walking to the beach in Punta Cana around 4 am on March 6.
Her friends left two hours later to go back to their room, leaving Riibe and the med student alone on the beach.
Last Monday, Riibe was seen with investigators at the beach where Konanki was last seen, and he told NBC News at the time: 'I'm just trying to help them out.'
'The ocean is a dangerous place,' he added.
Riibe was seen talking to law enforcement at beach next to the Riu Republica Hotel in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic last Monday
The med student from Virginia was last seen with Riibe, who she was alone with on the beach after her friends left
Riibe was captured on surveillance video with Konanki and a group of her friends walking to the beach in Punta Cana around 4am on March 6
Riibe came under suspicion after reportedly giving various versions of his drunken night out with Konanki, but provided more insight in a further interview with investigators before he returned to the US.
The former wrestler said he and Konanki were 'in waist-deep water, talking and kissing a little,' according to a transcript of Riibe's discussion with police obtained by NBC.
He went on to claim a wave crashed and whisked them both out to sea. In other reported retellings, Riibe said he had gone back to his hotel room and that he fell asleep on the beach.
Riibe's family explained the conflicting accounts as being the result of a different translator being present at each of three police interviews.
In his last interview, Riibe said he and Konanki got swept out to see, saying: 'I kept trying to get her to breathe, but that didn't allow me to breathe all the time, and I swallowed a lot of water.'
Riibe, contrary to what he has previously stated, alleged he was able to bring Konanki to safety before she actually went missing, according to the reported transcript.
'When I finally reached the ground on the beach, I held her in front of me. She wasn't out of the water, she was knee-deep and walking at an angle out the water,' he explained.
The former wrestler said he and Konanki were 'in waist-deep water, talking and kissing a little,' according to a transcript of Riibe's discussion with police
'The last time I saw her, I asked if she was okay. I didn't hear her reply because I started vomiting all the water I had swallowed. After vomiting, I looked around. I didn't see anyone. I thought she had grabbed her things and left.'
He refused to answer some questions, with officers probing him over how they could be sure what he was saying was truthful.
Riibe was asked about what he told his close friend about Konanki and what he thought about her disappearance.
Investigators also questioned 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 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.
Investigators in the Dominican Republic said they believe she drowned, and while they have questioned Riibe, they have not said he is suspected of any crime.
Sudiksha KonankiIowa
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