Roommate Arrested After Missing USF Doctoral Student Found Dead In Tampa
Police in Tampa say one of two missing University of South Florida doctoral students, 27-year-old Zamil Limon, was found dead Friday on the Howard Frankland Bridge, and his roommate was arrested in connection with the case.
Hillsborough County deputies took 26-year-old Hisham Abugharbieh into custody and charged him with domestic violence battery and false imprisonment. Investigators say Limon's body was recovered along the bridge and that the other missing student, 27-year-old Nahida Bristy, remains missing as officers continue searching for her.
The episode traces back to April 16, when Limon and Bristy were last seen at separate locations in Tampa. Family and friends said the disappearances were highly unusual; both were from Bangladesh, kept close contact with loved ones, and had planned summer travel and academic work. Limon studied generative AI applied to Florida wetlands and had been due to present his doctoral thesis.
Earlier coverage focused on searches and family pleas for help, but reporting shifted after a large police operation in the Lake Forest neighborhood near campus and the discovery of a body. Major outlets later reported the arrest, and authorities have urged anyone with information to contact investigators as the probe into the case continues.
📊 Relevant Data
In 2025, 220 individuals died due to domestic violence homicides in Florida, representing approximately 20% of all homicides in the state.
Domestic Violence Annual Report 2025 — Florida Department of Children and Families
The arrested roommate is 26-year-old Hisham Abugharbeih, charged with domestic violence battery and false imprisonment in connection with the case.
Suspect Arrested, Remains of One Missing USF Student Located — Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
📌 Key Facts
- Two University of South Florida doctoral students — 27-year-olds Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, both from Bangladesh — were reported missing.
- USF police say both were last seen April 16: Limon was last seen around 9 a.m. at his Tampa residence and Bristy around 10 a.m. on the USF Tampa campus (one at a student apartment and one at a campus science building); they had been missing for more than a week before the latest developments.
- Both were Ph.D. students (Limon studied generative AI applied to Florida wetlands and was scheduled to present his doctoral thesis; Bristy was a chemical engineering doctoral student); family and friends say the disappearances are out of character and both had flights booked to Bangladesh for the summer.
- USF police and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office say detectives have been actively following leads and conducting searches in multiple locations across Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
- Hillsborough County investigators elevated Limon and Bristy to endangered based on newly developed information and carried out an operation in the Lake Forest community near USF that briefly closed neighborhood entrances and exits.
- During that operation a barricaded person was taken into custody after the neighborhood lockdown; authorities later identified and arrested that person as a roommate of the missing students.
- Police say one of the two missing doctoral students has been found dead; the body was recovered along a major bridge and officials said further details would be provided at a news conference.
- USF police told reporters investigators do not believe the pair were detained by federal immigration officers.
📰 Source Timeline (8)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- CBS specifies that the body was found along a major bridge.
- The report reiterates that the victim is one of two missing doctoral students and that the victim's roommate is under arrest.
- Confirms the timing that the students had been missing for more than a week before the body was found.
- Police say one of the two missing University of South Florida doctoral students has been found dead.
- Authorities state that a roommate of the students has been arrested and taken into custody.
- The arrest links the person in custody directly to the victim as a roommate, clarifying their relationship.
- Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office closed the entrance and exit of the Lake Forest community on Friday for an operation tied to the missing USF students.
- A barricaded person linked to the disappearance of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy was taken into custody after the neighborhood lockdown.
- Authorities report that one body has been found in connection with the disappearance of the two doctoral students, with further details to be given at a news conference.
- Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says a person connected to the disappearance is in custody after a barricade at a home in the Lake Forest Community near USF.
- Officials state the person in custody is not one of the missing students and decline to say if they are a suspect.
- The sheriff's office briefly shut down the entrance and exit of the Lake Forest Community due to law enforcement activity.
- HCSO elevated the status of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy to endangered on Thursday based on newly developed information, without detailing that information.
- 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.