The tragic case of two University of South Florida (USF) doctoral students from Bangladesh—Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy—has shocked the Tampa Bay community and their families. Both 27 years old, the pair vanished on April 16, 2026. Limon’s remains were discovered days later on the Howard Frankland Bridge, while Bristy remains missing (with human remains later recovered in nearby Tampa Bay waterways, presumed to be hers). Their roommate, Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, faces two counts of first-degree premeditated murder with a weapon.

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Zamil Limon (left) and Nahida Bristy (right), both 27-year-old doctoral students at USF from Bangladesh. They were romantically linked and reportedly discussing a future together.

A Routine Morning Turns into Silence

On the morning of April 16, Limon was last seen around 9 a.m. at the off-campus apartment he shared with Abugharbieh on Avalon Heights Boulevard, near the USF Tampa campus. About an hour later, Bristy was spotted around 10 a.m. inside the Natural and Environmental Sciences (NES) building on campus, where she was pursuing a doctorate in chemical engineering. Limon was studying geography, environmental science, and policy and had been preparing for his thesis presentation.

The pair, both originally from Bangladesh, were described by family as responsible and close-knit. They maintained daily contact with loved ones back home—Bristy never missed a day speaking with her family. Relatives said Limon and Bristy were more than friends; they had discussed marriage but were prioritizing their degrees first. Their sudden disappearance was completely out of character. A family friend reported them missing to USF Police on April 17 after failed attempts to reach them.

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The sprawling USF Tampa campus, where Bristy was last seen at the NES building.

Phone Data and the Final Signal

Cell phone location data became central to unraveling the final movements. Investigators tracked Limon’s phone pinging in the Clearwater Beach area on the night of April 16—a coastal spot west of Tampa across the bay. Abugharbieh’s vehicle was also captured in the same vicinity that night.

Authorities have noted that Limon’s phone stopped transmitting location data roughly 27 minutes before his remains were discovered. The final signal originated from a location on or near the Howard Frankland Bridge that investigators determined Limon had never previously visited with Bristy, according to historical location patterns. This anomaly raised immediate red flags, suggesting the phone (or its user) had been moved to an unfamiliar site under suspicious circumstances.

Abugharbieh’s phone also pinged at the Howard Frankland Bridge location just after midnight on April 17. On that same night, he allegedly queried ChatGPT about whether cars are checked at Hillsborough River State Park. Earlier queries (April 13 and 15) reportedly included questions about disposing of a body in a black garbage bag, how it might be discovered, changing a car’s VIN number, and keeping a gun at home without a license.

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Clearwater Beach, Florida, where Limon’s phone pinged on the night of April 16, near where Abugharbieh’s car was also located.

When initially questioned, Abugharbieh denied seeing Limon or Bristy that day and claimed they had never been in his vehicle or gone to Clearwater. Confronted with the phone and vehicle data, he changed his story, stating that Limon had asked for a ride to Clearwater with his girlfriend. He offered no clear explanation for the trip. On April 17, location data showed him driving to and stopping at a spot along the Howard Frankland Bridge—the exact area where Limon’s remains were later found.

The Discovery on the Bridge

Limon’s remains were located on the morning of Friday, April 24 (or 25, depending on reporting), on or near the Howard Frankland Bridge, which spans Tampa Bay between Tampa and St. Petersburg. The body was found in advanced stages of decomposition and contained within multiple black utility trash bags. Dive teams and search efforts had focused on the waterways around the bridge.

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Missing USF student’s body found in water off Howard Frankland Bridge as search continues for Nahida Bristy | FOX 13 Tampa Bay

The Howard Frankland Bridge over Tampa Bay, site where Zamil Limon’s remains were discovered.

An autopsy determined the manner of death as homicide caused by multiple sharp force injuries, including several stab wounds and a deep perforation to the lower back that reached the liver. A significant volume of blood evidence was later found in the shared apartment, with patterns suggesting two human-sized shapes on the floor in Abugharbieh’s bedroom, plus blood trails from the foyer through the kitchen and hallway. A CVS receipt dated April 16 listed trash bags, Lysol wipes, and Febreze—items prosecutors linked to cleanup efforts.

Bristy is believed to have met a similar fate and been disposed of in the same manner. Human remains were subsequently recovered from Tampa Bay waterways on the St. Petersburg side of the Howard Frankland Bridge (near Interstate 275 and 4th Street North), though formal identification was pending as of the latest reports.

The Arrest and Charges

Abugharbieh was taken into custody on Friday after a brief standoff at a family residence, where he barricaded himself. He emerged shirtless with a towel around his waist. He had visible lacerations on his legs and a bandaged left pinky finger, which he initially attributed to cutting onions. He now faces two counts of first-degree premeditated murder with a weapon, plus additional charges including unlawfully moving a dead body, failure to report a death, tampering with evidence, false imprisonment, and battery. He is being held without bond.

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Hisham Abugharbieh (left, in mugshot-style image) and Zamil Limon (right). Abugharbieh, Limon’s roommate, faces murder charges in both deaths.

Prosecutors argue that no conditions of release would adequately protect the community, citing the premeditated nature of the alleged crimes and the evidence of planning (including the ChatGPT queries days in advance).

Families Demand Justice and Islamic Burial Rites

The families of Limon and Bristy, devastated by the loss, issued a joint statement calling for justice. They requested that the bodies be handled according to Islamic rituals and funeral requirements, and asked USF to establish a memorial in the students’ names to honor their memory and prevent future tragedies. Community vigils and support from the Bangladeshi diaspora in Florida have highlighted the profound impact on international students pursuing advanced degrees in the U.S.

Unanswered Questions in a Chilling Case

While phone data, vehicle tracking, blood evidence, and digital queries paint a disturbing picture of premeditation and cover-up, several questions linger: What was the motive? Was there a dispute in the apartment that escalated violently? Why Clearwater Beach, and what exactly happened in those final hours before the phones went silent and the bodies were moved to the bridge?

The 27-minute gap between Limon’s last phone signal and the discovery of his remains, combined with the unfamiliar location relative to his known movements with Bristy, underscores how digital breadcrumbs helped investigators zero in on a suspect who was living in close proximity to the victims.

This case serves as a stark reminder of vulnerabilities faced by students far from home, the importance of community vigilance, and the power of location data and forensic evidence in modern investigations. As the search for full closure regarding Bristy continues and legal proceedings against Abugharbieh unfold, the USF and Tampa Bay communities mourn two promising young scholars whose lives were cut short.

Authorities continue to appeal for any information related to the case. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office can be contacted at (813) 247-8200.