Tampa Bay, Florida – In the ongoing double homicide investigation involving University of South Florida doctoral students Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, authorities have disclosed a new physical piece of evidence recovered from the off-campus apartment shared by Limon and suspect Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh.

Detectives confirmed that among the items collected from the scene was a torn piece of paper bearing handwriting that matches neither Limon nor Abugharbieh. The fragment contains only one incomplete sentence, which investigators are treating as potentially significant in reconstructing the events of April 16, 2026.

This discovery adds to the complex mosaic of digital, forensic, and physical evidence already assembled in the case.

Zamil Limon (left) and Nahida Bristy (right), both 27-year-old Bangladeshi doctoral students at USF who disappeared on April 16, 2026.

The Torn Paper Fragment

According to the latest evidence inventory released by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the torn scrap of paper was found inside the shared apartment on Avalon Heights Boulevard. Forensic document examiners have determined that the handwriting does not belong to either Limon or Abugharbieh. The fragment is described as small, with ragged edges consistent with being hastily torn from a larger sheet.

The visible text consists of one incomplete sentence. While the full wording has not been publicly released, investigators have indicated the sentence appears to reference movement, a meeting, or an arrangement. Analysts are working to determine whether the handwriting belongs to Nahida Bristy or possibly a third party. The incomplete nature of the sentence has led detectives to speculate it may have been interrupted or deliberately destroyed during a critical moment.

This physical clue is now being cross-referenced with other evidence, including:

Messages between Limon and Bristy that morning, with the final one containing a reference to Abugharbieh described as “particularly urgent.”

A partially overwritten file on Limon’s laptop containing a single line of text still under decryption.

Phone location data showing Limon’s device moving from the Clearwater Beach area to an unfamiliar spot on the Howard Frankland Bridge, where it stopped transmitting roughly 27 minutes before his remains were discovered.

The Howard Frankland Bridge over Tampa Bay, where Zamil Limon’s remains were found in black trash bags on April 24, 2026.

The Broader Evidence Picture

The apartment itself yielded significant forensic findings. Blood evidence consistent with two human-sized shapes was documented in Abugharbieh’s bedroom, with trails leading through the foyer, kitchen, and hallway. A CVS receipt dated April 16 listed multiple rolls of black trash bags, Lysol wipes, and Febreze — items prosecutors link to alleged cleanup and disposal efforts.

Limon’s autopsy confirmed homicide by multiple sharp-force injuries, including stab wounds and a deep perforation to the lower back. His body, along with what are believed to be Bristy’s remains, was disposed of in industrial black trash bags. Abugharbieh’s vehicle and phone data placed him in the Clearwater Beach area the night of April 16 and later near the bridge after midnight on April 17.

A passerby witness reported seeing a man matching Limon’s description in conversation near the bridge area, with an overheard phrase noted as a crucial detail. Abugharbieh initially denied involvement or providing rides to the victims, only to revise his account when confronted with location data.

Abugharbieh’s digital footprint allegedly includes ChatGPT queries about body disposal in black garbage bags, how long it would take for a body to be discovered, changing a vehicle’s VIN, and related suspicious topics in the days leading up to the incident.

Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh (left), charged with two counts of first-degree premeditated murder with a weapon in the deaths of Zamil Limon (right) and Nahida Bristy.

Student Testimonies and Daily Life Patterns

Fellow USF students have told investigators that Limon and Bristy frequently studied late into the night together, often in the library or lab spaces, while Abugharbieh rarely participated in these sessions. The couple was romantically involved and had discussed future plans, including marriage, while prioritizing their doctoral work — Limon in geography/environmental science/policy and Bristy in chemical engineering.

The torn paper fragment, the urgent message referencing Abugharbieh, and the decrypted laptop file are now central to understanding whether personal tensions, jealousy, or an external trigger escalated inside the apartment that day.

Community Response and Ongoing Proceedings

The Bangladeshi community in Florida and the victims’ families have expressed deep sorrow and called for swift justice. They have requested the remains be handled according to Islamic burial rites and have asked USF to establish a memorial for the two promising young scholars.

As digital decryption, handwriting analysis, and forensic document examination continue, authorities hope the incomplete sentence on the torn paper — combined with the single line from Limon’s laptop — may help complete the narrative of the victims’ final hours.

Abugharbieh faces additional charges including tampering with evidence, unlawfully moving a dead body, false imprisonment, failure to report a death, and battery. He remains held without bond.

The investigation remains active. Anyone with information regarding the case is urged to contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at (813) 247-8200.

TIMELINE: Murders of missing USF students Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy

Zamil Limon’s remains have been found. Nahida Bristy is still listed as missing, though investigators believe she is also dead. Here’s a timeline of the case so far.

Investigators are still working to identify a second set of human remains found near the Howard Frankland Bridge —  the same area where the body of missing USF doctoral student Zamil Limon was recovered Friday.

USF doctoral student Nahida Bristy is still listed as missing and endangered, though based on evidence, investigators said they believe she is also dead.

Limon’s roommate, Hisham Abugharbieh, has been arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection to their deaths.

As we await further developments in the case, here’s a timeline of events in the University of South Florida students’ disappearance.

USF missing students timeline

Thursday, April 16 – Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy are last seen alive

Zamil Limon, a USF student pursuing a doctoral degree in geography, environmental science & policy, is last seen at 9 a.m. at his home on Avalon Heights Boulevard in Tampa.

Nahida Bristy, a USF student pursuing a doctoral degree in chemical engineering, is last seen at 10 a.m. at the NES Building on campus.

Friday, April 17 – Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy are reported missing

At approximately 4:50 p.m. on April 17, a family friend notifies the University of South Florida Police Department after they were unable to contact Zamil Limon or Nahida Bristy.

Missing person reports are initiated, and both students are entered into FCIC/NCIC missing persons’ databases.

Tuesday, April 21 – USF police announce students’ disappearance

USF police announce that they’re searching for Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, both 27 years old, as they ask the public for help.

Thursday, April 23 – Deputies search Sand Key Park in Clearwater

A dive team from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is seen searching the water at Sand Key Park in Clearwater. Pinellas County deputies are seen taking a paper bag from the scene into a Crime Scene Investigation vehicle.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office confirms its forensic unit was called to assist in a search related to the missing USF students.

6:15 a.m. Friday, April 24 – Zamil Limon’s remains recovered from Howard Frankland Bridge

Several northbound lanes of the Howard Frankland Bridge are shut down for hours as authorities recover what is later confirmed to be the body of Zamil Limon in “heavy-duty utility trash bags.”

9 a.m. Friday, April 24 – Deputies respond to domestic violence call at family home of Hisham Abugharbieh

Hillsborough County deputies respond to a domestic violence call in the Lake Forest neighborhood in Tampa, located about a mile away from the University of South Florida campus. Deputies are aware this is the family home of 26-year-old Hisham Abugharbieh, Zamil Limon’s roommate.

Deputies safely remove his family from the home, but Abugharbieh is refusing to leave, according to Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer. A SWAT team is called just after 10:30 a.m.

11:42 a.m. Friday, April 24 – Hisham Abugharbieh taken into custody

Video shows Hisham Abugharbieh exiting the home peacefully and being taken into custody by SWAT officers.

More Videos

Next up in 5

Ybor City Bricking Project completes ahead of schedule

Former Florida Governor Charlie Crist officially enters the St. Petersburg Mayor Race

Breeze Airways flight bound for Tampa International Airport grounded after fire detected in engine

10 Tampa Bay News This Morning at 6:00 am

LA Kings UP and DOWN season recap, MAJOR moments and an EARLY look ahead to next season

12:53 a.m. Saturday, April 25 – Nahida Bristy’s brother believes she’s dead

The brother of missing USF graduate student Nahida Bristy tells 10 Tampa Bay News reporter Chris Hurst that investigators called the family in Bangladesh late Friday night to say they believe she is dead because of “the volume of blood” found at the shared apartment of Zamil Limon, and the suspect in their killings, Hisham Abugharbieh.

That brother, Zahid Hasan Pranto, says the family was told that her body may never be found and may have been dismembered.

6:30 a.m. Saturday, April 25 – Hisham Abugharbieh charged with 2 counts of first-degree murder

Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, faces two counts of murder in the first degree with a weapon (premeditated) in the deaths of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy.

He is being held in a Hillsborough County Jail without bond.

Court documents reveal he used ChatGPT to ask questions, such as “what happens if a human is put in a garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster,” before the USF students were reported missing.

8:55 p.m. Sunday, April 26 – Human remains found by Howard Frankland Bridge

Deputies with both the Hillsborough County and Pinellas County sheriff’s offices recover human remains from the waterways near the Howard Frankland Bridge, in the area of Interstate 275 and 4th Street North.

The Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office is working to identify the remains.

Credit: 10 Tampa Bay News
Marine units with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office search near the Howard Frankland Bridge for a missing USF student, as seen on April 26, 2026.