Punta Kana, Dominican Republic – Joshua Libe, a key witness to Suujak Conanki's Spring Break Loss Disappearance, successfully argued in a Dominican court on Tuesday that a de facto home arrest at a five-star resort opposed local law.
However, he is permitted to return to the United States, but Dominican authorities did not return him his passport. He could continue to pursue return in court or continue to seek provisional alternatives from the US embassy.
The 22-year-old Libe is considered one of the last people to see the 20-year-old Conanki before disappearing from Riu Republica in Punta Cana, the beach behind the resort, early on March 6th.
He argued in court Tuesday that police control over his moves over an 11-day span was illegal, not a suspect. Sources told Fox News Wednesday that Riibe checked out the Riu Republica Resort and moved last night.
Dominican Judge Rule Hotel House Arrest is illegal for Iowa students who lost their spring break case
Joshua Libe will arrive at the courts of the Dominican Republic on Tuesday, March 18th, 2025 with his father, Albert Libe. Libe is a key witness to the disappearance of Sudisha Conanki, an American college student who went missing while swimming in Pantakana Beach on March 6th. (Fox News Digital)
He is still in the Dominican Republic, sources say the investigation points to a random drowsing rather than a foul play.
Riibe's family declined to comment.
The State Department confirmed on Tuesday that it was providing consul support to Riibe, but refused to discuss the details of the incident, citing privacy concerns.
A witness and not a suspect, Reibe had holed up in RIU Republica for 11 days under strict police surveillance before the judge found the situation violated Dominican law.
Suddiksha Conanki, 20, from northern Virginia, was reported missing on Thursday, March 6 after disappearing from a beach in the Dominican Republic. (handouts, left, and Defensive Citizen Dominicana, right.)
“It doesn't change the legal reality of being held in a hotel instead of a police facility. If we restrict people leaving the country without official legal basis, it still violates international human rights standards,” said Jason Pack, a retired FBI supervisory special agent and former child adduction rapid deployment (card) team leader.
“The US Department of State typically monitors American citizens when they are detained overseas, especially when they appear to be denied legitimate procedures.”
If American citizens lose their Punta Cana passport, the US Embassy in Santo Domingo advises that the US Consulate in Bavaro is providing emergency assistance. It is located in the same office complex as Guzman Aliza's Libe lawyer.
The largest law firm in the Dominican Republic, Guzman Aliza, has a satellite office in Altagracia in the same complex as the local US consulate. (Michael Lewis/Fox News Digital)
A key witness of American College student loss disaster tells police how they met and what happened on the beach
The former team at Puck focused on missing people and abduct children, but he said the same tactics apply to missing adults like Conanki.
“It's very rare that I'm alone since my passport was filmed,” Liebe testified Tuesday before a Dominican judge. He later added, “I can't go anywhere. I really want to stay home. I want to hug my family and friends.”
Surveillance video shows him and Conanki went to the beach with the group around 4:15am on March 6th on the morning when she disappeared. Most of them were seen remaining on the beach at around 6am. Libe returned himself a few hours later, but Conanki's whereabouts remain unclear almost two weeks later.
Local authorities searched Sudiksha Konanki, a student from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. (Santiago Baez from Fox News Digital)
American college students disappear in the Dominican Republic: Timeline
According to a leaked transcript of an interview with police, Libe told investigators that he and Conanki were both pulled away from the coast by a strong current, and they had a hard time retrieving it. He finally saw her walking through the deep waters of her knees, then vomited and fell asleep in a chair on the beach.
Her parents asked in a letter to Dominican authorities that she was declared dead Monday.
Libe, on his part, agreed to multiple police interviews, but expressed his dissatisfaction during a hearing about his confinement at the resort on Tuesday, where he was monitored by police for more than a week, despite Dominican law that says he could be locked up for up to 48 hours without a crime claim.
Missing American college student seen in security footage of a new hotel before losing
On Thursday, March 13th, 2025, people spent their time at the beach at RIU Republica Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Santiago Baez from Fox News Digital)
Authorities have not called Libe a suspect or accused him of fraud, but in a hearing that repeatedly deviated from the screams between prosecutors and Libe's lawyers, the government has refused to maintain his constant surveillance.
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The judge sided with Libe and felt that his situation was illegal.
The judge told him to return to the hearing on March 28, but one expert said it was formal and doesn't have to actually show up in person.
