PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic – Top prosecutors of the Dominican Republic interviewed Iowa, 22, at a hotel in Punta Cana on Saturday.
Dominican Attorney General Yeni Berenice Reynoso concluded the week with multiple interviews with several detectives, including La Policia Nacional, the national police force, Loudoun County, Virginia, and detectives from their hometowns in Conanki.
Reynoso's office did not respond to multiple requests for comments. Both Riibe and Reynoso's aides were seen coming and leaving the room at the Riu Republica Hotel on Saturday evening, with his lawyers later confirming that he was being questioned by the AG himself.
Riibe is not named a suspect or has not been allegedly a crime, but authorities have described him as a “significant element” in investigating missing persons. He was joined by his parents. Libe, Conanki and their friends were staying at the resort for spring break.
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Suddiksha Conanki, 20, from northern Virginia, was reported missing on Thursday, March 6 after disappearing from a beach in the Dominican Republic. (Handout photo/Defensa Civil Dominicana)
Libe's parents on Friday said he had been exposed to “irregular treatment” for more than a week.
“Despite his willingness to cooperate, Josh was detained under irregular conditions and exposed to widespread questions until Wednesday, March 12th without the presence of official translators or lawyers,” his parents, Albert and Tina Libe, said through lawyers.
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Sudiksha Konanki, a US university student, went missing on March 6th while on vacation with a friend in Punta Cana. (Fox News Graphics)
“He remained in his hotel room under police surveillance and has been repeatedly taken to the police station since March 6th, where he has been questioned for a long time. This situation has sparked serious concerns within the family and has led him to maintain legal action to ensure his safety and protection of his rights throughout the process,” they said.
Authorities also revealed on Saturday that Riibe's passport had been confiscated.
Missing Americans in Dominican Republic: No suspects reach a week of search for Sudicsha Konanki
Police Station in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Kiril Clark)
Conanki was finally seen walking into the beach behind the resort, with a group that included female friends from the University of Pittsburgh, and two men identified as Libe, a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.
Dominican law, like the United States, requires that people in custody be released within 48 hours if not claimed.
A State Department spokesperson said U.S. officials are aware of the situation but were unable to comment on the details due to “privacy and other considerations.”
“The department is prioritized above the safety and security of US citizens overseas,” the spokesman said.
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A source close to the survey told Fox News Digital on Friday that Riibe remains a “critical element” of the survey facing “enhanced” questions. Sources said the authorities also looked closely at phone records from Conanki and other witnesses.
People on the beach at the Riu República resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on Friday. (Fox News Digital)
Conanki, Ribe and their friends were on the beach behind the RIU Republica 5-star resort at about 4:15am on March 6th. Everyone except Conanki has returned.
Six of them left the beach around 6am and were reported missing to her friends at 10am at 4pm.
Unpredictable currents, beachfront pose big search challenges
The drone flies overhead in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, as local authorities search for the missing college student Sudiksha Konanki. (Santiago Baez from Fox News Digital)
Riibe told police that he and Conanki were hit by strong waves and swept offshore, according to a leaked transcript of one of his police interviews obtained by Fox News. They fought the flow and he brought her back to the land. He then said he finally saw her walking through the deep water in her knees towards her belongings.
When he woke up she was gone, he said.
At the same resort, four European tourists owned in one incident in January. All their bodies were recovered within 48 hours.
Local authorities are searching for Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on Friday. (Fox News Digital)
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The Conanki search expanded the coastline, including hundreds of staff, including new AI-equipped models, as well as helicopters, planes, boats, dive teams, K9s and drones.
“More than anything, we want to contribute to our search efforts and understand the anguish and uncertainty they are experiencing, and share our hopes that Sudhiksha will be found as soon as possible,” Libe's parents said Friday. “Joshua Libe was deeply disappointed Her disappearance And from the beginning, we have fully cooperated in searching and clarifying facts. ”
