Sudiksha Konanki, 20, was reported missing on Friday morning. Credit: Facebook

Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old pre-med student from Virginia, was last seen at the Riu República Hotel & Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, in the early hours of March 6, while on a spring break trip with friends.

Surveillance footage captured her and her friends drinking in the hotel lobby before heading to the beach at around 4:15AM with two men.

By 4:55AM, her friends and one of the men had returned to the hotel, leaving her alone with 24-year-old Joshua Riibe.

Authorities in Virginia have reportedly identified Riibe as a person of interest in connection to the pre-med student’s disappearance.

According to a transcript obtained by Dominican news outlet Noticias SIN, the man told police that he and Konanki were nearly swept away by the ocean while wading in the water.

He claimed he struggled to get them both to safety before vomiting seawater once back on land and alleged to cops that he asked Konanki if she was okay but didn’t hear her response because he was busy throwing up water, per TMZ.

He also said he last saw her walking away in knee-deep water to retrieve her belongings, which had been pushed down the beach by waves. After that, he never saw her again.

In addition to this, Riibe told investigators that he fell asleep on the beach and woke up at sunrise, covered in mosquito bites. He then returned to his hotel room to sleep.

While the man insists he saved Konanki, he has reportedly refused to answer several key questions, citing legal advice. Authorities have pressed him on whether he reported the incident to police, what he told his friends about that night, and how investigators can verify his account.

The student disappeared while on vacation the Dominican Republic. Credit: X

Though the initial theory was that Konanki may have drowned, investigators are now considering other possibilities, including foul play.

“We are using all our resources to thoroughly investigate the disappearance of Konanki Sudiksha Chowdary, and we understand the anguish this case causes to her family, Dominicans, and Americans,” Dominican Republic Attorney General Yeni Berenice Reynoso said in a statement.

“As with any disappearance occurring under the circumstances of the case at hand, we are applying a holistic investigation protocol that examines all variables,” she added.

Riibe, who has not been named a suspect yet, has allegedly provided police with conflicting versions of events, according to The New York Post.

Despite this, his family and friends have defended him. His aunt, Theresa Riibe, told the Daily Mail she believed her nephew “wouldn’t hurt a fly”.

Neighbor Laurel Schreiver echoed that sentiment, stating, “I bet my life on it, Josh did not hurt that girl. I’ve known Josh since he was a young boy. There is no way he would harm her or have anything to do with her disappearance.”

She described him as a “super good kid” and acknowledged that he may have been intoxicated that night. “If he was drunk as I’ve read, that was not the smartest thing to do, but he’s in college on spring break,” Schreiver added.

With no sign of Konanki and more questions than answers, authorities are ramping up search efforts.