A man has been charged with two counts of first-degree premeditated murder in the deaths of two University of South Florida doctoral students who vanished nine days ago, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday. The body of one of the students was recovered Friday on a Tampa bridge. The other student is still missing.
Who are the missing students?
USF doctoral students Zamil Limon (left) and Nahida Bristy (right) were last seen April 16 in Tampa. Limon’s roommate has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in their deaths.
(University of South Florida Police Department)
Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, both 27, were USF doctoral students from Bangladesh. Limon was pursuing a degree in geography, environmental science and policy. Bristy was studying chemical engineering at the school’s Tampa campus.
Bristy’s older brother, Zahaid Hasan Pranto, told NBC News that his sister and Limon had previously been in a romantic relationship but were not dating when they disappeared. Limon’s younger brother, Zubaer Ahmed, told Fox 13 the pair had discussed a possible future together but were focused on finishing their degrees.
When were they last seen?
Limon was last seen around 9 a.m. on April 16 at his home on Avalon Heights Boulevard in Tampa, USF Police said. Bristy was last seen about an hour later at the Natural and Environmental Sciences Building on the USF Tampa campus. A family friend reported them missing the next afternoon after being unable to reach either of them.
Who is the suspect?
Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh was charged Saturday with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of USF doctoral students Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said.
(Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)
Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, was Limon’s roommate, according to the sheriff’s office. USF said he was enrolled at the school from spring 2021 through spring 2023 and was pursuing a bachelor’s degree in management, but is not currently a student.
Abugharbieh was arrested Friday at his family’s Tampa home after a standoff that involved a SWAT team. Before Saturday’s murder charges, he was already facing counts of domestic violence, simple battery, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, failure to report a death and unlawfully holding or moving a dead body.
Video released by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office shows Abugharbieh emerging from the home before being taken into custody.
What has USF said?
USF President Moez Limayem said in a letter to the campus community on Friday that investigators have described the case as “an isolated situation that occurred off campus.”
“The suspect acted alone and there is no ongoing threat to the safety of the university community,” Limayem wrote.
Limayem said Limon had been at USF since fall 2024 and Bristy since fall 2025. He confirmed Abugharbieh is not a current USF student or employee and added that university leaders have been in direct contact with both families.
What did investigators find?
Authorities recovered Limon’s body on Friday on the Howard Frankland Bridge, which crosses Tampa Bay between Tampa and St. Petersburg, Fla., the sheriff’s office said. Bristy’s body has not been recovered. Her older brother, Zahaid Hasan Pranto, told reporters that investigators have informed the family she is dead, though the search for her remains continues.
What’s the latest?
Saturday’s first-degree murder charges carry a potential death sentence or life in prison without the possibility of parole. The sheriff’s office said evidence was turned over to the State Attorney’s Office, which led to the upgraded charges, but declined to share more details.
“At this time, the search for Bristy continues,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at 813-247-8200.
