PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic – Joshua Riibe, the key witness in the spring break disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki, successfully argued in a Dominican court Tuesday that his de facto house arrest at a five-star resort was against local law.

But although he’s been cleared to return to the United States, Dominican authorities didn’t give him back his passport. He could continue to pursue its return in court or seek a provisional replacement from the U.S. embassy.

Riibe, 22, is believed to be one of the last people who saw Konanki, 20, before she vanished in the early hours of March 6 from the beach behind their resort, the Riu Republica in Punta Cana.

He successfully argued in court Tuesday that as a witness, not a suspect, police control over his movements over an 11-day span was unlawful. A source told Fox News Wednesday that Riibe checked out of the Riu Republica resort and moved last night. 

People enjoy time on the beach at the RIU Republica Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Thursday, March 13, 2025. Sudiksha Konanki, 20, was last seen on a beach outside the five-star RIU Republica Resort in the Dominican Republic on March 6, 2025. (Santiago Baez for Fox News Digital)

Authorities have not called Riibe a suspect and have not accused him of wrongdoing, but in a hearing that repeatedly devolved into screaming between prosecutors and Riibe’s attorneys, the government unsuccessfully sought to have his constant monitoring kept in place.

The judge sided with Riibe, finding his situation unlawful.

The judge told him to return for a hearing on March 28, but according to one expert, it’s a formality, and he doesn’t actually have to appear in person.