A judge in the Dominican Republic granted a request for freedom for Joshua Riibe, who is believed to be the last person to have seen missing U.S. tourist Sudiksha Konanki before her disappearance on March 6.
Riibe’s lawyer Alfredo Guzmán Saladín filed a habeas corpus petition seeking the release of their client. A hearing addressing the petition was held on March 18.
The petition asked for the return of Riibe’s passport, which was allegedly withheld by Dominican authorities while the 22-year-old college student was being interviewed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the FBI, who were investigating the case.
Judge Edwin Rijo ordered Riibe’s release, saying that he can cooperate with authorities without being detained.
“All parties say that he has cooperated in everything that has been asked of him,” Rijo said, adding that Riibe is a witness and as such, cannot be detained.
The Associated Press reports that so many journalists showed up to cover the hours-long hearing, it had to be moved to a bigger courtroom.
Before the ruling, prosecutors told the judge that Riibe was not under arrest and that he was free to move around the hotel where he is staying. They said Riibe told them he lost his passport, although Riibe said in court that officials had seized his passport and cellphone.
“I really want to be able to go home and talk to my family, give them hugs,” Riibe told the judge via a translator. “I understand that I’m here to help. I’ve done that. It’s been 10 days.”
When leaving the hearing, Ribbe’s lawyers said they expressed their solidarity with Konanki’s family, according to Dominican news outlet Noticias Sin.
“We express our solidarity with Sudiksha Konanki’s family in these difficult times, joining in the collective hope that she be found safe and sound as soon as possible,” Guzmán Saladín said upon leaving the court.
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Riibe’s lawyers also said they express a “deep gratitude to the Dominican judiciary and all institutions involved in the Joshua Steven Riibe case for recognizing and upholding the rule of law and showing respect for his fundamental rights as a foreign citizen in the Dominican Republic.”
Riibe’s father, Francis Albert Riibe, was also in attendance during his son’s court hearing. He told reporters that he came to the Dominican Republic because his son “is being held captive and cannot leave the hotel.”
According to Noticias Sin, Riibe told reporters that Konanki’s mother, Sreedevi, had thanked him for trying to save her daughter’s life.
“We were in the lobby and the mother hugged me and said thank you for saving Sudiksha the first time,” Riibe reportedly said.
Riibe, who has not been charged with any crime, previously told local investigators that he and Konanki were “in waist-deep water, talking and kissing a little,” when a large wave crashed into them and swept them both “out to sea,” according to the transcript obtained by NBC News.
“I kept trying to get her to breathe, but that didn’t allow me to breathe all the time, and I swallowed a lot of water,” Riibe reportedly said.
Riibe, a former lifeguard, told investigators he was able to get himself and Konanki to shore safely.
“It took me a long time to get her out, it was difficult,” Riibe told officials, according to the transcript. “I was a lifeguard in the pool, not in the sea.
“When I finally reached the ground on the beach, I held her in front of me. She wasn’t out of the water, she was knee-deep and walking at an angle out of the water.
“The last time I saw her, I asked if she was OK. I didn’t hear her answer because I started vomiting all the sea water I had swallowed.”
After vomiting, Riibe said he looked around and didn’t see Konanki and assumed she left the beach.
“I looked around and I didn’t see anyone. I thought she’d grabbed her things and left.”
Michael Chapman, sheriff of Loudoun County in Virginia, said in a statement Tuesday that officials have been working with Dominican authorities and continue to review evidence in the case.
“The disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki is tragic, and we cannot imagine the grief her family has been feeling,” he said. “Sudiksha’s family has expressed their belief that she drowned. While a final decision to make such a declaration rests with authorities in the Dominican Republic, we will support the Konanki family in every way possible.”
Konanki’s parents spoke with reporters outside their home in Loudoun County, Va., on Tuesday and said that authorities told them they believed their daughter drowned.
“Both sides of authorities have shown us how high the ocean waves were at the time of the incident, and both sides of the authorities have clarified the person of interest was not a suspect from the beginning,” Konanki’s father, Subbarayudu, said while fighting back tears.
“It is with deep sadness and heavy, heavy heart, we are coming to the terms with the fact that our daughter has drowned,” Subbarayudu continued. “This is incredibly difficult for us to process. We kindly ask you to keep our daughter in your prayers.”
“We still have two young children to care for. In light of this, we respectfully request some space, time and privacy to focus on healing and helping our children recover as we try to move forward with our lives.”
On Monday, Dominican Republic National Police spokesperson Diego Pesqueira said that Konanki’s family sent a letter “requesting declaration of death.”
The letter, viewed by Global News, said the family made the request “after much deliberation” and thanked supporters for their international search efforts.
“Following an extensive search, Dominican authorities have concluded that Sudiksha is believed to have drowned,” her parents wrote in a letter to La Policia Nacional. “Her clothes were discovered on a beach near where she was last seen. The individual last seen with her is cooperating with the investigation, and no evidence of foul play has been found.
“We understand that certain legal procedures must be followed and are prepared to comply with any necessary formalities or documentation.
“Initiating this process will allow our family to begin the grieving process and address matters related to her absence.”
“While no declaration can truly ease our grief, we trust that this step will bring some closure and enable us to honor her memory.”
— With files from The Associated Press