One of two missing University of South Florida doctoral students found dead and a roommate has been named a suspect

A missing University of South Florida doctoral student was found dead on a Tampa Bay bridge Friday and her roommate was arrested as a suspect, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said.

Two PhD students from Bangladesh, Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, have been missing since last week. Limon’s body was found Friday on the Howard Frankland Bridge and Bristy has yet to be found, the sheriff’s office said.

“This is an extremely disturbing case that has shaken our community and affected many individuals who acted in hope of a safe resolution,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement.

Limon’s roommate, Hisham Abugharbieh, was arrested Friday morning after police were called to his home regarding a domestic violence incident, according to Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer.

Abugharbieh, a 26-year-old former USF student, now faces charges of battery, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, failure to report a death and unlawful handling of a corpse, the sheriff’s office said. in a newsletter.

Limon and Bristy, both 27, were reported missing by a family friend on April 17. According to university police, they were last seen on the university campus the day before.

Bristy’s brother said that while authorities continued to search for Bristy, investigators called her family in Bangladesh and told them they believed she may be dead based on the amount of blood found on Limon and at the suspect’s shared home. CNN affiliate WTSP. CNN reached out to the brother and police.

Maurer said a medical examiner is still trying to determine Limon’s cause of death and may share autopsy results over the weekend.

Limon’s family told CNN they are desperate for answers about what happened to the cheerful and promising young investigator.

While the search and investigation for Bristy continues, university president Moez Limayem said his staff will remain in contact with students’ loved ones to provide support.

“Please join me in praying for the families and friends of Zamil and the safe return of Nahida,” Limayem said. a message to faculty members and students.

Roommate was on investigators’ radar

Before his arrest Friday, Abugharbieh had been questioned by law enforcement at least twice. Maurer said he initially spoke to authorities but stopped cooperating when he was interrogated again Thursday.

On Friday, the chief deputy said investigators “were able to connect the suspect to this case and (Limon’s) body.”

During his arrest, Abugharbieh barricaded himself inside a home, requiring the SWAT team and crisis negotiators to intervene, the sheriff’s office said. Video of his arrest shows Abugharbieh walking out the front door with his hands up and a bath towel tied around his waist, an armored vehicle parked in the front yard.

Abugharbieh was arrested at his parents’ home, which a judge had previously barred him from entering due to his brother’s allegations of domestic violence.

According to court records, the suspect was arrested twice in 2023 on battery charges, but these charges were later dropped. However, following one of these incidents, his brother applied for an injunction banning Abugharbieh from approaching him or his home. In court records, the brother claimed Abugharbieh attacked him and his mother during an argument during which he told him to leave the house.

When the injunction expired last May, the brother asked the court to extend it, saying he did not want to “risk it returning.” His request was rejected.

The suspect attended USF between 2021 and 2023 while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in management, a university spokesperson told CNN.

Student’s brother says ‘we are compatible’

The students have been missing since last week, prompting friends in Florida and relatives in Bangladesh to search for answers.

Before Limon’s body was found, his brother told CNN that the family was waiting for news in “deep pain.”

“This is devastating for us,” Zubaer Ahmed said. The brother said that his family was following the developments with concern. “We are numb. Anything is possible. We just want to know the truth or what happened to them. It is not possible for two students to just disappear.”

Police said Limon was last seen around 9 a.m. on April 16 at his off-campus home, about three blocks from the college campus. He had been studying geography, environmental science and policy since the fall of 2024.

Bristy was last seen about an hour later in the Natural and Environmental Sciences Building on campus, police said. He enrolled in college last fall and was studying chemical engineering.

The next day, a family friend was unable to reach the couple and notified campus police.

Detectives were following leads and searching multiple locations when the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office upgraded the couple’s status to “endangered” on Thursday, citing new “information that has come to light.”

Limon discussed marrying Bristy

His brother said Limon spoke highly of Bristy to his family in Bangladesh, saying he was courting her and that the couple had discussed the possibility of marriage.

“He shared that she was a good girl and had many talents, such as being able to sing and cook very well,” Brother Ahmed said.

Limon has been working intensively on his dissertation for the past two years, researching how to use generative artificial intelligence to monitor shrinking wetlands in South Florida, his brother said.

“My brother is a very decent and very simple person,” Ahmed said. “He always had a smile on his face.”

After completing his doctorate, Limon wanted to return to Bangladesh and find a job as a university professor, Ahmed said.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s Karina Tsui and Martin Goillandeau contributed to this report.

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