Joshua Riibe, the American tourist who has been named a person of interest in the disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki in the Dominican Republic, gave differing accounts to police over the course of four interrogations, according to a police source close to the investigation.
Riibe, who has not been accused of or charged with any crime, was named a person of interest by the sheriff’s office in Loudoun County, Va., where Konanki lives.
Konanki, a student at the University of Pittsburgh, was last seen early on the morning of March 6 walking on the beach at Riu Republica, a resort in Punta Cana. She had been part of a group of six female students traveling for spring break.
Konanki’s clothes were found on a chaise lounge on the beach, a source close to the investigation said. No signs of foul play were detected, according to Dominican outlet El Nacional.
Though Dominican authorities have not publicly named Riibe a person of interest, law enforcement has questioned him, under the belief that he is the last person to have seen Konanki alive. As of Thursday, March 13, he remained in the country.
“He’s still at the hotel he was holidaying in and remains at the disposal of the Dominican and U.S. authorities for further clarifications,” a source told PEOPLE.
According to a source in the prosecutor’s office, Riibe’s story changed over the course of four interrogations, though the source did not specify the ways in which his recollections changed.
Riibe maintains he first met Konanki at the hotel where they were both staying and that they had been “partying” together with a group of friends, a source said.
“We are keeping all avenues of investigation open, but at this time we have no concrete elements that could lead us to believe that foul play was involved,” the source told us.
A source close to the investigation said security cameras captured Konanki and a group of seven others heading to the beach at about 4:15 a.m. on March 6 after having drinks in the hotel. At 5:55, six of the eight are seen on camera returning to the hotel.
Riibe returned to the hotel by himself at 9 a.m., investigators determined through interviews and surveillance footage.
After spending several hours looking for Konanki, her friends reported her missing to hotel staff at 4 p.m. that day.
In a March 13 update, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office told PEOPLE that Riibe is still considered a person of interest to them, “as he may have been the last one to see her,” but that he is not a suspect.
