Investigators explored the coastal location where a vanishing American scholar allegedly spent her last minutes, offering a glimpse into the scene.
Under a canopy of star-speckled skies and drifting clouds, Sudiksha Konanki waded into the balmy waters of the Caribbean Sea. This tranquil scene was far removed from the thumping music and boisterous conversations typical of the nearby beaches.
Konanki shared a kiss with Joshua Riibe, an action Riibe later shared with investigators, which might have been one of her last moments alive. Dominican Republic authorities suggest that the 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student may have drowned in the early hours of March 6, a theory her parents have expressed.
On that evening, the winds were gentle, and the water was cozy - holding a steady 80 degrees, according to CNN Senior Meteorologist Brandon Miller. However, the waters off Punta Cana were turbulent the night Konanki disappeared, prompting advice, although confirmation of any warnings is uncertain.
Two weeks after her disappearance, the beach where Konanki might have taken her final breath retained little evidence of the ensuing search. No tangible proof indicating a crime has been found, and Riibe has not been considered a suspect in Konanki's disappearance or accused of wrongdoing.
Patrolling the beach near the Riu República Hotel, Dominican Republic National police officers, not authorized to speak publicly, expressed that while they're familiar with petty crimes, incidents like Konanki's disappearance were uncommon.
At the hotel's main disco, the night air thick with alcohol, a DJ mixed salsa rhythms with American club beats, enticing the American spring breakers to dance. The young vacationers swarmed the bar, ordering shots and cocktails, while a dance troupe captivated the crowd.
The disco pulsed at the heart of the Riu República, just a short distance from a pink-chair adorned lobby where Riibe, 22, and Konanki first met at the adults-only resort in Punta Cana. Konanki was with several university friends, and Riibe was accompanied by a classmate from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.
"My friend and I were drinking; we came back from a party, went to the Pink lobby, introduced ourselves to some girls, and she was there," Riibe told Dominican prosecutors in an interview on March 12. This encounter was one of several Riibe shared with investigators, with the March 12 interview being the only one where CNN secured a transcript of Riibe's statements.
The groups traveled to Punta Cana to celebrate spring break. They drank together around 3 a.m., ordering rounds of shots before suggesting a trip to the beach, as Riibe later recalled.
Hotel surveillance video captured Riibe and Konanki walking hand-in-hand at 4:15 a.m., the duo swaying slightly as they snapped a selfie along the tree-lined path. Their friends surrounded them closely, with Konanki appearing happy and animated in a screenshot from another angle of the hotel's surveillance video as the group moved away from the disco's bustle towards the quiet refuge of the sea.
The short walk to the beach seemed longer at night, with the darkness contrasting the wild, roaring waves that ferociously crashed against the shore. There were no lights after passing the resort's beach access point, but once your eyes adjusted, you could see the stars with crystal clarity. The distant glow of late-night parties and other resorts dotting Punta Cana's coastline brought a touch of light to the crisp, dark night.
Riibe told prosecutors that on the night Konanki went missing, "I took off my shoes and socks, emptied my pockets, took off my shirt, put them on a chair, and went into the sea." Two of Konanki's friends remained on the beach chairs as the others entered the ocean. Riibe and Konanki's friends left the beach 40 minutes later at 4:55 a.m., according to the hotel's surveillance video, leaving the pair alone.
Riibe and Konanki were conversing and kissing when suddenly, without warning, a powerful wave swept them off their feet and swept them into the relentless, restless sea. Wave after wave relentlessly pulled them under, giving them mere seconds to breathe when their heads finally surfaced. In those moments, they shouted for help, but no one was there to hear.
Exhausted and battered by the waves, Konanki struggled, with Riibe admitting that it took him an extended time to reach her due to frequently being submerged underwater. When they neared the shore, he held Konanki in front of him, but before he could hear her answer when he called out, he began vomiting seawater. When he looked up, she was gone.
"After I saw her walk away while she was walking in the water," Riibe said, "I never saw her again." Confused, he fell into an exhausted slumber on the beach, too spent to take another step. In the quiet night sky, the moon watched silently as the investigation into Sudiksha Konanki's disappearance commenced.
- Sudiksha Konanki, a Dominican Republic authorities' suspected victim of drowning, shared a kiss with Joshua Riibe, a University of Pittsburgh student, on the night she disappeared.
- Riibe, along with several Dominican and American students, including Konanki, traveled to Punta Cana to celebrate spring break. They walked hand-in-hand on their way to the beach, where they were later seen in hotel surveillance video.
- On the night Konanki went missing, Riibe and Konanki were conversing and kissing when a powerful wave swept them off their feet and into the sea, leaving Riibe, battered and exhausted, alone on the shore when he awoke.
