Person of interest named in search for Sudiksha Konanki, Pittsburgh student who disappeared in Punta Cana on spring break

A "person of interest" has been identified in the missing person investigation of a University of Pittsburgh student who disappeared last week while on a spring break trip to the Dominican Republic. Authorities have been searching by land, air and water for 20-year-old Sudiksha Konanki.

Joshua Riibe, 24, who was previously questioned by authorities about Konanki's disappearance, has been identified as a "person of interest," the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said. Authorities also said it is not a criminal case at this time.

"There has been considerable public speculation about what may have happened to Konanki and who may be involved," the sheriff's office, which is located in Konanki's hometown, said in a statement. "We caution anyone from drawing any unsubstantiated conclusions and are committed to ensuring that a thorough investigation is conducted before any conclusions are reached."

The pre-med student was last seen on video surveillance footage on Thursday, March 6, entering the beach at a hotel in Punta Cana before dawn, where she was staying with five other friends, according to Dominican Republic National Police. Dominican media outlet Noticias SIN obtained this surveillance video which appears to show Konanki with her friends and two other men.

Konanki’s clothes were also found on a portable beach bed close to the location where authorities believe she disappeared, and they have found no evidence of violence, according to ABC News, which cited two police sources with knowledge of the investigation. A police report says a man, whose name was not released, went swimming with Konanki. He told police they got caught in a big wave. When he returned to the beach, he said, he threw up and went to sleep on a beach bed. When he woke up, Konanki was nowhere to be seen, the man told police, according to the ABC report.

Here’s what else we know.

The preliminary timeline of Sudiksha Konanki’s disappearance

Missing person posters describe Konanki as 5 feet, 3 inches tall, with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a brown bikini, big round earrings, a metal designer anklet on her right leg, yellow and steel bracelets on her right hand and a multicolored beaded bracelet on her left hand.

March 3: Konanki arrived in the Dominican Republic with five friends. They were all staying at the Hotel Riu Republica in Punta Cana.

March 5: Konanki told her friends that she was going to a party at the resort, her father told CNN.

March 6:

• 4:15 a.m. local time: Konanki and her friends were seen on video surveillance footage entering the beach area of the resort, police said.

• Around 6 a.m.: Surveillance cameras captured five women and one man leaving the beach. Konanki is believed to have stayed behind with a young man, CNN reported, citing a local police source.

• 9:55 a.m.: That same police source said the man was leaving the beach, with no apparent sign of Konanki.

• 4 p.m.: Konanki’s friends reported her missing, since it had been 12 hours since she was last seen, the Riu hotel chain said in a statement. The sheriff’s office in Loudoun County, Va., where she and her family live, was notified of Konanki’s disappearance.

March 7: Police in the Dominican Republic learned of her disappearance after 8 a.m. in a call from the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo.

Dominican police lead investigation, with help from U.S.

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said in a statement on Sunday that it is working closely with authorities from the State Department, FBI, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations and the University of Pittsburgh police "in support of the ongoing investigation by the Dominican National Police."

Konanki is a citizen of India and a permanent resident of the United States, and the Indian Embassy in the Dominican Republic is helping in the investigation.

The hotel where Konanki is staying is also supporting the search efforts. "From the moment her absence was reported, we have been working closely with the local authorities, including the police and the navy, to conduct a thorough search," the hotel said. "We would like to express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. … We are fully committed to doing everything in our power to assist in this situation."

Interviews authorities have conducted so far

The public prosecutor’s office is interviewing Konanki’s friends, NBC News reported. The young man believed to have been on the beach with Konanki on early March 6 has been interviewed by authorities to discuss what happened when the two were allegedly alone and to corroborate his story.

Loudoun County Sheriff Michael Chapman said authorities are combing through security footage and cellphone data for any sign of Konanki.

"We have certainly experts here within the U.S. that will look into all aspects of her phone, her friends' phones, anybody that she might have been with, to see exactly what may have happened there," Chapman said.