People theorizing that Sudiksha got taken by a shark or that Riibe is a part of some sex trafficking ring are either dumb or crazy. Here’s what likely happened.

The folks REALLY grinding my gears are the ones theorizing that she got eaten up by sharks. This isn’t the movie “Jaws.” You hear of shark ATTACKS and not man-eating sharks because sharks don’t really eat people. The sharks close to the shore in those waters are Caribbean reef sharks, nurse sharks, and maaaaaybe the occasional tiger shark. These may attack, but they aren’t going to swallow you whole or “grab you and take you out to sea” like one person on a different thread suggested. 🙄 I’m Caribbean myself and have been to most of the Caribbean islands. I have been in the water with tropical sharks, saw one bump into a friend so hard it bruised her, and have even exited the water because of small shark sightings while I was swimming. Think about how unlucky you would have to be to encounter a “man-eating” GREAT WHITE shark in CARIBBEAN waters or a bull shark THAT close to shore. It just doesn’t happen.

I also highly doubt a white boy from the middle of bumpkin-ass Iowa who doesn’t speak a lick of Spanish is part of a sex-trafficking ring in the DR. Yes, there’s a big sex trafficking issue in that country but if someone DID snatch her while he was vomiting, then it means they were probably roofied at some point and someone was watching them and seized the perfect opportunity to take her. This theory isn’t too far fetched, as there are many stories of resort workers being a vital part of sex trafficking rings and assisting with the abduction of victims. They are in a perfect position to do so, and it means money in their pockets. I just highly, highly doubt that Riibe was a part of it.

Riibe was also so hammered that he was vomiting and couldn’t walk straight. While not totally impossible, how does anyone reaaaaaally expect him to have killed her in the state he was in and then be of sound enough mind to bury her so well in a place that is completely foreign to him, in just a couple of hours on a busy touristy beach without anyone seeing anything? You really believe he had the time and expertise to bury her so well with his bare hands that officials and search dogs haven’t been able to find her? I mean he didn’t even have one of those little kiddy beach pails and shovels, let alone something to dig a deep enough hole in the sand with to bury a whole ass human body. I don’t know how many of you have experience with Caribbean beaches, but digging a hole that size in the fluffy sand that keeps collapsing in on itself is not a quick ordeal. It takes me 15-20 minutes just to put up my awning and fill the bags with sand to hold it down when I go to the beach, so imagine scavenging for a good location while shitfaced drunk AND burying a body! It would just take way too much time.

I think all of these theories are unlikely (with the exception of her being possibly roofied, watched, and abducted).

What likely happened here was that they both went into the water extremely drunk and got pulled in by a rip current. I once got caught in a rip current at a beach in Miami. They are strong and it happens FAST. You have to be incredibly lucky and a strong swimmer or already have knowledge of how to break free from them—knowledge that a drunk 5’3” girl who barely knew how to swim and did not grow up on an island—probably did not have. Also keep in mind that a few people who stayed at the resort during that time have said that the waves were high and the “undertow” was strong. While there are slight differences between undertows, rip currents, and riptides, they tend to be used interchangeably. Someone tried to argue with me that there weren’t any rip currents reported. Ok, but undertows were. Same difference.

The fact that Riibe says he saved Sudiksha and left her in knee deep water is a blatant lie to save face. He saved HIMSELF and made it out of the water and unfortunately she didn’t. It wouldn’t even surprise me if he freaked out when realizing they were being sucked into the ocean, and human instinct kicked in, causing him to grab on to her to stay afloat and in turn pulling her down and drowning her. After he managed to get out of the water, he probably did truly pass out from total exertion and intoxication. When he woke back up, he realized what the fuck had just happened and he didn’t alert anyone or seek help because he was afraid that he would get in trouble for not helping to save her from drowning, especially with not speaking the language, and not knowing how laws in the DR work.

Some people are saying that the adrenaline rush and near-death experience would have sobered him up really quickly. OK, fine. That’s believable. If that’s the case, maybe he DIDN’T pass out, but instead stayed on the beach for a few hours processing the shocking experience of seeing someone be consumed by the ocean in front of his very eyes and wondering how the hell he was going to get out of that situation.

It was reported that he also has a girlfriend back home (or HAD since I’m sure she’s going to can his unfaithful ass now) so he probably didn’t want to be involved with all of the drama and media coverage that would undoubtedly come along with an American drowning abroad—more specifically the person he was cheating on his girlfriend with. He knew bringing to light what actually happened would expose his cheating. Instead, it bit him in the ass and backfired on him anyway.

Do I think he is a totally dishonest person and scum from the bottom of the barrel? Yes. A good person does what they can to help another during a time of need. Even if he was not able to save her, he should have reported it immediately so that there would have been a better chance of her body being discovered. This kid is no lifeguard. Pool lifeguards rarely do anything except blow their whistles and warn kids to stop horse playing in the water. Come to one of our Miami beaches if you want to see a REAL lifeguard at work. Those folks are expert swimmers under all kinds of ocean conditions, have jet skis and boats parked on the shore and ready to go, and are very well trained in CPR. THAT is a lifeguard.

But do I think there is something more nefarious going on? No. I seriously doubt he murdered and buried her. This is not a Natalee Holloway case.

As to why her body hasn’t been discovered yet: Yes, the Caribbean waters are warm and will tend to wash a body back to shore pretty quickly. However, many people don’t realize that the body initially floats before drowning. (Also, just as an aside… the time it takes for a drowning victim whose lungs have filled with water to sink is very short). While the body is submerged, it’s totally wrecked by the harsh salty ocean environment and picked at by sea life. Eventually it resurfaces again, but oftentimes when it does, it resurfaces in pieces.

For example, we had a drowning here in Miami the weekend before Thanksgiving. A young 19-yr-old guy was enjoying a beach day with his family when his older sister got caught in a rip current. He ran into the water to save her and was able to pick her up and literally throw her to safety. But then unfortunately he got pulled in by the current himself. There was an IMMEDIATE massive search for his body, but it never resurfaced. A week later, a human head washed up on a different Miami beach. It was confirmed to be his. His name was Victor Castaneda: https://people.com/head-washed-ashore-florida-identified-teen-who-saved-sister-from-drowning-8746765

Victor Castaneda was a hero, not this sorry excuse for a man, Joshua Riibe.

I know some people just like to brainstorm and theorize, but please use your brains.

Edited to add: Sorry, I know this post is long enough already but as a mom to a beautiful 6-year-old boy, I just wanted to add one more thought.

This case also shows why it’s so important not to shelter your kids, but instead to teach them about the dangers of the world and make sure that they get to experience all the beautiful and terrible parts of LIFE while still under your wing.

I read that Sudiksha’s parents are very traditionally Indian and were strict with her. She and her friends sound like they were very sheltered, and were having the time of their lives. They were unsupervised and free to do as they pleased without the fear of their parents’ watchful eyes. I’m sure these kids are all incredibly talented scholastically and well-behaved. But what good is being a genius at chemistry and trigonometry if you also don’t have the street smarts and survival instincts to go along with it?

Let your kids live life. Take them to swimming lessons and martial arts classes. Teach them about stranger danger and let them watch cold case shows with you on TV. Talk to them about tragic cases on the news. Let them get black out drunk at least once under your supervision so that they know what it feels like and realize it’s NOT fun. Talk to them very honestly about safe sex and don’t delude yourself as a parent into thinking that they are asexual beings and won’t eventually want to try it. Let them SEE and TOUCH drugs like cocaine, acid and heroin so they know what it is should they ever come across it.

If you are financially able to—TRAVEL with them. Take them everywhere you go so they can experience different landscapes and cultures and understand that not every place is as “safe” as the US (not that we don’t have plenty of danger here too).

Don’t shelter your kids from the world so that they don’t feel like they have to go buck wild when they’re out of your sight. No one wants to tarnish their child’s innocence, but I’d rather have a little bit of that than having to bury my child or worse—having my child go missing.

My heart goes out to Sudiksha’s parents, as they are truly living every parent’s worst nightmare. I also feel sorry for Riibe’s parents who have had to rescue their irresponsible son from this very serious legal nightmare that he will never live down. His name is plastered everywhere and future employers and significant others will see all the news, theories, and accusations with a brief search of his name and will have their doubts as to who he is as a person.