This story has been updated with information from Josh Riibe’s habeas corpus hearing on Tuesday.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Rock Rapids native Josh Riibe appeared before a Dominican judge Tuesday afternoon to say he has been illegally detained during the investigation in Sudiksha Konanki’s disappearance. 

During the hearing, Riibe said Konanki’s mother thanked him for saving her daughter, according to Dominican media outlet Noticias SIN. 

“We were in the lobby and the mother hugged me and said thank you for saving Sudiksha the first time,” Riibe said. 

He also said he has cooperated with law enforcement and wished to go home. Riibe noted excessive police surveillance and restrictions on his movements at the hotel. 

Eduardo Velasquez, a representative of the Dominican Public Ministry, said Riibe’s questioning and holding were done on the basis that he was a witness, not a detainee. 

Riibe, 22, from Rock Rapids, Iowa is believed to be the last person who saw University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki alive on the morning of March 6. Riibe is considered a person of interest in the case, but is not a suspect and not under criminal investigation at this time. 

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Riibe’s lawyers filed a habeas corpus petition against the Riu Hotel where he has been kept in his hotel room under police supervision since March 6, as well as multiple Dominican law enforcement and prosecutor agencies, according to Dominican media outlet Noticias SIN.  

A writ of habeas corpus is a constitutional action or court order demanding a person go before a judge to determine if they are being arbitrarily or unlawfully detained. 

Riibe’s hearing is scheduled for Tuesday at 2 p.m. local Dominican time. Noticias SIN said media were ordered to be brought into the hallway for a closed hearing.

Konanki, 20, is a junior at the University of Pittsburgh and was on spring break with her friends in Punta Cana at a resort. Surveillance video shows her and five other University of Pittsburgh students and Riibe heading to the beach around 5 a.m. 

The Rock Rapids native told police the two were in the water when a wave swept them out to sea. He said he tried saving Konanki from drowning. They made it back to the beach, but he was unable to keep helping her due to his own exhaustion.

“The last time I saw her, I asked if she was okay,” Riibe told prosecutors, according to court documents. KELOLAND News translated his statements in a previous story. 

On Monday, Fox News obtained a letter from Konanki’s parents to the Dominican police asking for their daughter to be declared dead. However, Dominican law does not allow a declaration of death without a body.

In their letter, they thanked law enforcement for their efforts and said Riibe is cooperating with the investigation. 

“No evidence of foul play has been found,” the Konanki’s letter said.

Riibe’s parents, Albert and Tina Riibe, issued a statement on social media over the weekend.

They said Josh is “deeply dismayed” by Konanki’s disappearance. Despite his cooperation, they say Josh has been “detained under irregular conditions and subjected to extensive questioning without the presence of official translators or legal counsel” until a week into the investigation.

Locals from Rock Rapids have also shown their support for Riibe. The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office posted a statement Sunday evening signed by the Friends of the Joshua Riibe Family. 

“Josh has an unwavering devotion to his faith and a genuine kindness towards others,” it read. “He exemplifies the values of compassion, respect and integrity that are fundamental to our church and our community.”

The letter also said Riibe has been focusing his efforts to help find Konanki in the Dominican. 

The Riibe’s moved to Rock Rapids in 2015. He graduated from Central Lyon High School in 2021 where he wrestled and played football. Riibe qualified for state wrestling in 2020 and 2021. 

Riibe is currently a senior at St. Cloud State University studying land surveying.

A Dominican Republic judge granted Riibe’s habeas corpus petition, releasing him from police custody and surveillance, a Dominican media outlet reports.

“Any threat to this citizen’s freedom must cease, because to date, it has not been proven that the same thing doesn’t happen with the type of crime he has been given as a witness to here now,” Judge Edwin Rijo Delgado said.

Delgado said Riibe is able to cooperate with Dominican authorities without being in custody.

He has been under police surveillance since March 6, when Sudiksha Konanki was last seen.

It is still unclear when Riibe will be returning to the United States.