Sudiksha Konanki Person of Interest Joshua Riibe's Attorneys File Petition In Bid to Get Him Released From Custody

Joshua Riibe’s attorneys are demanding he be released from custody, as authorities in the Dominican Republic continue to hold him in the country following the disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki.

Konanki, 20, a pre-med student at the University of Pittsburgh, was last seen on March 6, walking toward the beach from the Riu Republica hotel in Punta Cana, a popular resort town.

Days after her disappearance, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office named Joshua Riibe a person of interest, believing he could have been the last person to see Konanki. Authorities in the Dominican Republic have questioned Riibe several times since the disappearance, and he has not yet left the country.

Noticias SIN, a Dominican outlet, reports that Riibe’s attorneys have filed a habeas corpus petition in a bid to have him released. A hearing will be held on Tuesday, March 18 in connection with the petition, the outlet reported.

Riibe has not been accused of a crime and has not been named a suspect in connection with the disappearance.

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“If he wants to leave the hotel, he cannot do that freely, but with police,” his attorney Beatriz Santana told ABC. “His passport was seized despite not being officially charged.”

Dominican outlet El Nacional reported that Konanki’s clothes were found on the beach on a chaise lounge.

Authorities initially said they believed Konanki had drowned in the notoriously rough waters near the beach, but they have not ruled out the possibility of foul play.