Authorities said Zamil Limon was found Friday as the search continued for Nahida Bristy.
TAMPA, FL — A University of South Florida doctoral student missing for more than a week was found dead Friday near the Howard Frankland Bridge, and his roommate was arrested as deputies continued searching Tampa Bay for a second missing student.
The death of 27-year-old Zamil Limon turned a missing persons case into a wider criminal investigation involving the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, USF police and search teams in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. Nahida Bristy, also 27 and a USF doctoral student from Bangladesh, remained missing Friday. Officials said Limon’s roommate, 26-year-old Hisham Saleh Abugharbeih, was taken into custody on several preliminary charges, but investigators had not announced a homicide charge.
Limon and Bristy were last seen April 16, about an hour apart, authorities said. Limon, who studied geography, environmental science and policy, was last seen about 9 a.m. at his home on Avalon Heights Boulevard, an apartment complex near campus where he lived with Abugharbeih. Bristy, who studied chemical engineering and lived on campus, was last seen about 10 a.m. at the NES Building on USF Sweetgum Lane. A family friend contacted USF police shortly before 5 p.m. April 17 after being unable to reach either student. Their phones were off, and investigators later said the case had become urgent because their disappearance was out of character. “We are still actively searching for Nahida,” Hillsborough County Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer said Friday.
Deputies said Limon’s remains were found Friday morning near the Howard Frankland Bridge, a major span over Tampa Bay that connects Tampa and St. Petersburg. Authorities did not immediately say how long the body may have been there or whether the bridge was the original scene of Limon’s death. Maurer said an autopsy was being performed to determine the cause and manner of death, with results expected Saturday morning. Investigators said Bristy had not been found, and dive teams continued searching parts of Tampa Bay. Officials also said they had no other suspects at that point. The sheriff’s office said Abugharbeih was being questioned again after his arrest, after previously speaking with detectives Thursday and ending that interview.
The arrest came after deputies responded around 9 a.m. Friday to a domestic violence call at a home in the Lake Forest subdivision, just north of the USF campus. Deputies said Abugharbeih was at his family’s home when they arrived. Officers removed relatives from the residence, but Abugharbeih barricaded himself inside and refused to come out. A tactical team, crisis negotiators, a drone and a robot were brought to the scene before he surrendered peacefully. Authorities said the preliminary charges included domestic violence, battery, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, failure to report a death and unlawfully moving a body. Deputies did not immediately describe what evidence led them to those charges.
Limon and Bristy were both from Bangladesh and were described by relatives and friends as serious students who kept close contact with family. A relative said the two were a couple and had discussed marriage. Bristy’s brother, Zahid Pranto, said she had spoken with their parents on the day she vanished and had mentioned classes and errands. He said it was unusual for the family not to hear from her because she spoke with her parents daily. Before Friday’s discovery, searchers had passed out missing persons flyers, checked locations in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, and searched near Sand Key in Clearwater. USF police also said earlier that the students were not being held by federal immigration authorities, addressing one concern raised by family members.
Public records reviewed by news outlets showed Abugharbeih had previously been a USF student but was not enrolled at the time of the investigation. Court records also showed past misdemeanor and domestic violence-related matters, including two petitions filed by a family member in 2023. A judge granted an injunction in one case and denied the other. Those records were not described by officials as a motive in Limon’s death or Bristy’s disappearance. Maurer said the relationship between Abugharbeih and Bristy was still unclear. Officials said Bristy did not live with Limon and Abugharbeih, and investigators had not publicly explained how she became connected to the events under review.
Sheriff Chad Chronister called the case “deeply disturbing” and said it had shaken the community after days of hope that both students would be found safe. He said detectives were working to uncover what happened to Limon and to find Bristy. At the Lake Forest scene, police tape stretched across a residential street as neighbors watched from lawns and driveways. Near the bridge, investigators focused on the water and the span where Limon was found. Authorities said the case remained active, with detectives checking records, interviews, search locations and evidence tied to the students’ last known movements.
As of Friday evening, Bristy remained missing, Abugharbeih was in custody and investigators were awaiting Limon’s autopsy results. Officials said the next major update was expected after the medical examiner’s findings Saturday morning.
Author note: Last updated April 24, 2026.