Authorities in the Dominican Republic are turning up the heat on the Iowa man who was the last person to see University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki before she went missing — grilling him into the early morning hours on Sunday.

Joshua Riibe, the person of interest in Sudiksha Konanki's March 6 disappearance in the Dominican Republic, has spoken out for the first time, stating that he is 'just trying to help.'

A key witness, who has been identified as a person of interest by the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office in the U.S. investigation of Sudiksha Konanki, shared insight into his evening with her.