Authorities are still searching for 20-year-old college student, Sudiksha Konanki, who went missing in the Dominican Republic last week.
TMZ reports that the person of interest in her disappearance, 22-year-old Joshua Riibe has since claimed that he saved her from drowning. Riibe told law enforcement he and Konanki were wading in the water when they were pulled in by a wave early in the morning of March 6.
He then alleged that while he was vomiting water, Konanki went to retrieve her personal belongings that had been swept downshore. He told authorities that he asked her if she was okay but didn’t get a response, and that he didn’t see her again after that.
He claimed he fell asleep on the beach, woke up after sunrise, and headed back to his room at the Riu Republica Hotel Resort—the same place Konanki was staying.
Surveillance footage shows the pair walking to the beach at around 4:15 a.m. where Riibe’s arm can be seen around Konanki. Investigators think she disappeared around 4:50 a.m.
While Riibe is certain he saved her life, he declined to answer some of police’s questions. The FBI has now gotten involved and is working with the Dominican National Police to find Konanki.
Konanki is a student at the University of Pittsburgh who traveled to Punta Cana for spring break with five of her female friends. According to NBC News, her friends also went to the beach with her on the morning of March 6 but went back to their rooms after about 40 minutes, leaving her with people they had met during their trip.
It took her friends 12 hours to realize she was missing. After returning from an excursion, the group notified the hotel that she had disappeared. At that point, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office—the Virginia county where Konanki lives—was told about the situation. The National Police then started searching for Konanki with drones, helicopters, divers, boats, and canine units.
Authorities are unsure if Konanki’s disappearance is accidental or the result of foul play. No blood was found at the beach, National Police spokesperson Diego Pesqueira told NBC.
"We are going on the presumption that she’s still alive," Loudoun County Sheriff Michael Chapman said. "We want to make sure that we're exhausting every possible lead that we can, and we feel we're doing that."