Joshua Steven Riibe, 24, has been identified as the man seen hugging and walking hand-in-hand with the 20-year-old student just hours before she vanished in the Dominican Republic.

Joshua Riibe, a 24-year-old tourist from Iowa, has come under the spotlight, with investigators naming him a 'person of interest.'

Cops have named person of interest in the case of Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student who went missing while on a spring break holiday in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Loudoun County,

New surveillance footage shows missing student Sudiksha Konanki staggering with Joshua Riibe, a “person of interest.” Riibe claims he saved her from rough waters before losing sight of her. Authorities continue to investigate,

Joshua Steven Riibe, an American from Rock Rapids, Iowa, has been named in the investigation into the disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki. Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, was the last person seen with Konanki before she vanished in Punta Cana on March 6.

According to a source involved in the investigation, Riibe, a former high school wrestler with a strong build, has been "cooperative" with authorities.

Joshua Riibe named person of interest Sudiksha Konanki case; Search ongoing for missing Pitt student