USF Police Seek Public Help As Two Bangladeshi Doctoral Students Remain Missing
Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy came to the University of South Florida as international doctoral students from Bangladesh. Limon, 27, studied generative AI applied to environmental science and had been scheduled to present his doctoral thesis this week. Bristy, 27, was a chemical engineering doctoral student. They lived together, had discussed marriage, kept daily contact with family, and already had flights booked to Bangladesh for summer break.
On the morning of April 16 both were last seen within about an hour of each other. Limon was last seen around 9 a.m. at his Tampa residence. Bristy was last seen about 10 a.m. on the USF Tampa campus near a science building. A lab colleague said Limon had put "work from home" on a shared Outlook calendar that day. A family friend contacted authorities after relatives were unable to reach the couple.
USF Police and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office opened an investigation and are asking the public for help locating them. Detectives are actively following leads and conducting searches in multiple locations across Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. USF police spokesman Larry McKinnon said investigators do not believe the students were detained by federal immigration officers. Families have spoken publicly on camera and characterize the disappearances as very unusual and out of character.
Authorities have named the missing students and reiterated basic details to aid searches: 27-year-old Zamil Limon and 27-year-old Nahida Bristy, both from Bangladesh, have not been seen since April 16. Investigators have not released a cause or confirmed a location and continue to ask anyone with information to contact law enforcement. Friends and relatives say the pair's regular routines and upcoming plans make their sudden absence particularly alarming.
📌 Key Facts
- The missing students are Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, both 27 and from Bangladesh; Limon is a doctoral student in environmental science studying generative AI applications for Florida wetlands, and Bristy is a chemical engineering doctoral student.
- Both were last seen on April 16: Limon was last seen around 9 a.m. at his Tampa student apartment/residence and Bristy was last seen about 10 a.m. on the USF Tampa campus in a science building; neither has been seen since.
- A family friend first contacted authorities on Friday after being unable to reach the couple.
- USF Police have asked the public for help; detectives with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office say they are actively following leads and conducting searches in multiple locations across Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
- USF police spokesman Larry McKinnon said investigators do not believe the pair were detained by federal immigration officers.
- Limon was scheduled to present his doctoral thesis this week, and a lab friend said he had marked “work from home” on a shared Outlook calendar for the day the two vanished.
- Family and friends say both had regular daily contact patterns, had flights booked to Bangladesh for the summer, described the disappearances as "extremely suspicious" and out of character, and said the couple had discussed marriage but were focused on completing their degrees.
- Media coverage includes on-camera family interviews that provide visual and emotional context but no new investigative details beyond the reported timeline and search efforts.
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Confirms both students, 27-year-olds Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, were last seen April 16 on the USF Tampa campus, one at a student apartment and one at a campus science building.
- States that a family friend first contacted authorities on Friday after being unable to reach the couple.
- USF police spokesman Larry McKinnon says investigators do not believe the pair were detained by federal immigration officers.
- Adds details on Limon's research using generative AI to study Florida wetlands and notes the couple had discussed marriage but were focused on completing their degrees.
- CBS video piece confirms families have now spoken publicly on camera and stress that the disappearances are 'very unusual' for both students.
- Reiterates Tampa police are actively searching and that neither student has been seen since April 16.
- Adds visual and emotional context from family interviews but no new concrete investigative details beyond prior timeline reporting.
- Names of the missing students are Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, both 27, and both from Bangladesh.
- USF Police specify last known times and places: Limon last seen around 9 a.m. April 16 at his Tampa residence; Bristy last seen about 10 a.m. April 16 on the USF Tampa campus.
- Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says detectives are actively following leads and conducting searches in multiple locations across Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
- Limon studies AI in environmental science and was scheduled to present his doctoral thesis this week; Bristy is a chemical engineering doctoral student.
- Family and friends describe daily contact patterns, say both already had flights booked to Bangladesh for summer break, and call the disappearances "extremely suspicious" and out of character.
- A lab friend says Limon had put "work from home" on a shared Outlook calendar for the day they vanished, and relatives say the pair had discussed a future together but prioritized studies.