THE parents of missing Sudiksha Konanki have filed a letter to legally declare their daughter dead as investigators dropped the probe into the man she was last seen with.

As police in the Dominican Republic continue to fly drones over the waters of Punta Cana for any sign of Konanki, her parents have requested to start the legal declaration process so they can begin grieving.

Joshua Steven Riibe, the man who was last seen with Konanki on the beach in the early hours of March 6, is no longer considered a person of interest in the 20-year-old’s disappearance.

Riibe’s continued cooperation with investigators led to him being cleared by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia.

“We would not refer to him as a person of interest at this point. Mr. Riibe was cooperative with our detectives,” Loudoun County deputies told The U.S. Sun.

Riibe, an Iowa native who was also vacationing in Punta Cana for spring break at the time Konanki went missing, previously told NBC News that he was “trying to help” investigators search for the woman.

“The ocean is a dangerous place,” he told the outlet.

The update from the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office comes hours after Konanki’s distraught family requested to start the legal process to declare her dead.

“Given these circumstances, and after much deliberation, we request that the police department proceed with the legal declaration of her death,” the family said in a letter obtained by The U.S. Sun.

“We understand that certain legal procedures must be followed and are prepared to comply with any necessary formalities or documentation.

“Initiating this process will allow our family to begin the grieving process and address matters related to her absence.

“While no declaration can truly ease our grief, we trust that this step will bring some closure and enable us to honor her memory.”

Konanki, an undergraduate student from the University of Pittsburgh, was last seen on the beach near the Riu República Hotel in Punta Cana during the early hours of March 6.

The biology major, along with five of her female friends, was staying at the five-star adults only resort after arriving in Punta Cana on March 3 for spring break.

KONANKI’S FINAL MOMENTS

During their trip, Konanki and her friends met Riibe and Carter Joseph, who were also staying at the Riu Hotel.

Joseph has not been accused of any wrongdoing or named a suspect in the investigation.

CCTV footage, obtained by CDN TV, from inside a bar at the Riu República resort showed the Konanki hanging out with a group of people at around 4:05 am on March 6.

Konanki is seen leaving her drink at a table before going to a grassy area and appearing to vomit, according to local reports.

An unknown woman can be seen helping Konanki as she quickly walks back towards the bar area.

At around 4:15 am, Konanki, her friends, Riibe, and another man are captured on surveillance footage leaving the resort and heading toward the beach.

Then, at around 4:55 am, cameras captured five women and a man returning to the hotel, leaving Konanki and Riibe alone on the beach.

‘SWEPT OUT TO SEA’

Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, told investigators that he and Konanki were in the water waistdeep and shared a kiss.

However, moments later the pair were swept off their feet by a giant wave, the 22-year-old from Iowa told investigators.

“A big wave came and hit us both and as the water returned, it came back and swept us out to sea,” Riibe said, according to police.

Riibe claimed the two cried out for help but no one was around to assist them.

He described to investigators how he put Konanki under his arm and swam back to the beach.

“It took me a long time to get her out, it was difficult,” he told investigators.

“I was a lifeguard in a pool, not in the sea.”

Riibe said he swallowed a lot of sea water during the rescue and began to vomit and slip in and out of consciousness.

“I could have lost consciousness several times,” he added.

Riibe said he managed to get the two of them back to a safe spot in the water close to the beach, and last recalled hearing Konanki say she was going to gather her belongings.

He described how Konanki was still in knee-deep water, walking at an angle.

“The last time I saw her, I asked her if she was OK,” Riibe said.

“I didn’t hear her answer because I started vomiting all the sea water I had swallowed.

“After I threw up, I looked around and didn’t see anyone. I thought she grabbed her things and left.”

He went on to tell investigators that he sat on a beach chair and fell asleep after feeling unwell, and only awoke by the sunrise and mosquitoes biting him.

The resort’s surveillance video captured a shirtless, shoeless Riibe returning to the resort at around 8:55 am. Konanki has not been seen since.

Dominican authorities found Konanki’s white netted sarong draped over the beach chair and her flip flops on the sand next to one of the legs of the lounger.

Vice Admiral Agustín Morillo Rodríguez, the commander of the Dominican Navy, told Noticias SIN Konanki’s body may not have surfaced yet because she could be stuck in coral reefs offshore.

“The body may be stranded on the reefs, on the coral reefs, which is why the Navy has deployed a team of Navy and local divers to comb the entire area where there are reefs or corals,” he said.

“So far, unfortunately, we have not been able to find the young woman.”

The Navy commander then painted a gruesome image of what might have happened to Konanki’s body.

“When a person drowns, they lose air from their lungs and fill with water, then the body sinks,” he added.

“After 72 hours, the body begins to decompose, the organs begin to decompose and fill with gas, then the body begins to float.”

Rodríguez said the process lasts 36 hours to a week.

HABEAS CORPUS HEARING

As part of the ongoing probe, Riibe has been blocked from leaving the country as Dominican authorities have confiscated his passport.

Riibe is also prohibited from leaving the hotel without police.

Dominican Republic Attorney General Yeni Berenice Reynoso interviewed Riibe over the weekend for more than six hours.

Riibe’s legal team has voiced their concerns about the 22-year-old’s detention and want local investigators to lift their order.

During a habeas corpus hearing on Tuesday, Riibe’s attorney asked a judge in the Dominican Republic to either charge Riibe or allow him to leave the country.

His parents have also called out the authorities over the interrogation.

The defense attorney argued that because Riibe’s passport was taken he is not free and should be released.

Meanwhile, Dominican prosecutors argued Riibe is technically a witness to an open investigation and therefore laws applying to suspects don’t apply.

Riibe’s father, Albert, attended the court hearing on Tuesday, in which his 22-year-old son took the stand and testified how he’s been cooperating with investigators during their investigation.

Riibe also testified in court that Konanki’s mother hugged him, and thanked him for trying to save their daughter from drowning before they left Punta Cana and returned to Virginia.

Hours before the court hearing, Konanki’s parents voiced their support for Riibe and urged investigators in the Dominican Republic to allow him to leave the island.

“Both sides of the authorities have shown us how high the ocean waves were at the time of the incident, and both sides of the authorities have clarified the person of interest was not a suspect from the beginning,” Subbarayudu, Konanki’s father, told reporters outside their home in Virginia.

“It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that we are coming to terms with the fact our daughter has drowned.

“This is incredibly difficult for us to process.”