Last Person Who Saw Missing Student Alive Gives Heartbreaking Account in Court

The presumed last person to see missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki alive provided a heartbreaking detail in court Tuesday.

“Her mother gave me a hug and said, ‘Thank you for saving my daughter the first time,”’ Joshua Riibe said in court Tuesday, according to ABC News. “It was really tough.”

Konaki’s parents earlier told the New York Post that they believe their daughter was taken by the ocean—and that Riibe was not to blame. His father has also traveled to the Dominican Republic to support his son.

The detail came as a judge in the Dominican Republic cleared the way for Riibe, a Minnesota college student, to be free of police surveillance.

At a hearing in the city of Higüey, the 22-year-old was not given an indication of whether he will be able to return home to the U.S., after authorities took his passport last week, CBS reported. “I really want to go home and see my family,” Riibe said. “I understand I’m here to help but it’s been 10 days.”

Riibe filed a habeas corpus petition last week, pleading with the court to free him of intense surveillance by prosecutors and police, claiming a violation of rights. On Tuesday, the judge ruled in favor.

Riibe was captured on CCTV footage with Konanki, 20, and a group outside the Riu República hotel on March 6. Later footage shows four people returning, but Konanki and Riibe had stayed behind at the beach. The last sighting of the pair was approximately 4.50 a.m. in the water, CBS reported, citing Loudon County Sheriff Mike Chapman.

Riibe told authorities the pair were swept into the ocean but he wasn’t sure if Konanki made it back to shore. “When I finally touched the sand, I put her in front of me. Then she got up to go get her stuff since the ocean had moved us,” Riibe told the prosecutor, according to ABC. “She was not out of the water since it was up to her knee. She was walking at an angle in the water.” He added: “The last time I saw her, I asked her if she was OK. I didn’t hear her response because I began to vomit with all the water I had swallowed,” he said. “After vomiting, I looked around and I didn’t see anyone. I thought she had taken her things and left.”

Riibe is not considered a suspect and “has never been accused” of wrongdoing, lawyers representing the government said. However Riibe’s lawyers claim he has been confined to his hotel and is the subject of constant police escorts.

A judge will decide if Riibe will face charges or can leave the country and return home to the U.S. on March 28.