Joshua Riibe's name cleared in Pitt student Sudiksha Konanki disappearance case

A judge in the Dominican Republic has officially cleared Iowa high school wrestling star Joshua Riibe of any involvement in the disappearance of University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki, bringing an end to the high-profile case that kept him detained on a Caribbean island for nearly two weeks.
The ruling, issued by judge Edwin Delgado, reaffirms an earlier decision that permitted Riibe, a senior at St Cloud State University, to return to the United States.
Dominican authorities never identified Riibe as a suspect or accused him of foul play, but he was repeatedly questioned by law enforcement, including the nation's attorney general, while being held at a resort.
Konanki, a 20-year-old pre-med student at Pitt, had been on spring break at the RIU Hotel & Resort in Punta Cana when she met Riibe at a bar. The two reportedly went for a swim in the early hours of March 6. Riibe told investigators he helped Konanki to shore before passing out on the beach, but when he awoke, she was gone.
Her disappearance triggered a massive search operation involving more than 300 law enforcement personnel at its peak. US agencies, including the FBI and the department of homeland security, joined local authorities in the efforts, along with deputies from the Loudoun County sheriff's office in Virginia, where Konanki was from.
Despite exhaustive search efforts, Konanki's body was never found. Her family later requested that she be declared deceased, leading to a tapering off of the investigation.
Before Friday's court hearing, Konanki's parents issued a statement asking for Riibe to be cleared, though they had previously urged authorities to expand the investigation into their daughter's disappearance and consider the possibility of criminal involvement.
Riibe's legal team, from the Dominican law firm Guzman Ariza, welcomed the judge's ruling, emphasising that his detention had exceeded the country's legal time limits.
"The court ordered Mr Riibe's immediate release because he was unlawfully detained surpassing the maximum period of 48 hours permitted under the constitution of the Dominican Republic," the firm said in a statement to The New York Post.
The firm also reaffirmed its dedication to upholding legal protections for both nationals and foreign citizens, ensuring their fundamental rights are safeguarded under Dominican law.