Murder Suspect Allegedly Asked ChatGPT How to Dump Bodies in Zamil Limon, Nahida Bristy Case

Investigators found evidence of blood inside the apartment Hisham Abugharbieh shared with Zamil Limon and suspicious items belonging to the missing students Nahida Bristy and Limon inside a trash compactor, according to court records.

AFlorida man accused of killing his roommate and friend allegedly used ChatGPT to ask about putting a body in a dumpster days before the two disappeared.

Hisham Abugharbieh is now facing multiple charges—including two counts of first degree murder with a weapon—in connection to the deaths of missing doctoral students Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, both 27, according to a statement from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

What Happened to Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy?

Authorities launched a massive search effort to find Limon and Bristy after the pair disappeared April 16. More than a week later, Abugharbieh was determined to be a “person of interest” in the disappearances and taken into custody peacefully April 24 following a standoff with law enforcement at a Hillsborough County home, the sheriff’s office said.

That same day, Limon’s nude body was discovered along the Howard Frankland Bridge, according to court records obtained by the Tampa Bay Times. He had been stabbed multiple times, the outlet reported.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office discovered a second set of human remains in the waterways in the area of Interstate 275 and 4th Street North on April 26, according to a statement released by the department, but it’s unclear whether that discovery is connected to the case.

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Public Relations Coordinator Brittany Muller told Oxygen.com the morning of April 27 that the remains had still not been identified, adding, “to protect the integrity of the investigation, we will not comment further than what has been released.”

Zamil Limon and Nahida S. Bristy

Photo: University of South Florida Police Department

ChatGPT Searches Discovered on Hisham Abugharbieh’s Phone

Investigators are now releasing more information about what led them to arrest Abugharbieh.

According to the court records obtained by Tampa Bay Times, three days before Limon and Bristy disappeared, Abugharbieh allegedly used Chat GPT to ask about placing a human into a dumpster. When the AI tool replied that “it sounds dangerous,” Abugharbieh asked, “How would they find out?”

Then, just a day before the doctoral students vanished, Abugharbieh asked, “Can a VIN number on a car be changed?” and “Can you keep a gun at home without a license,” per the records.

RELATED: Paige Shiver Says She Got Pregnant During Affair With Fired Michigan Coach Sherrone Moore

Authorities noted other suspicious searches were conducted through ChatGPT in the days after the students disappeared. According to the court records, Abugharbieh asked April 19, “Has there been someone who survived a sniper bullet to the head?” as well as “Will my neighbors hear my gun?”

Blood, Duct Tape, Missing Phone Case Discovered in Missing Person Probe

Investigators also found evidence to suggest that Abugharbieh drove across the Courtney Campbell Causeway to Sand Key Park the night of April 16 with video footage showing a Hyundai matching his vehicle in the area. Limon’s cell phone also last pinged in the same area that night before the signal dropped.

Abugharbieh—who had a cut on his left pinky finger when he talked to detectives—insisted the two had not been in his car and told investigators that he had nothing to do with their disappearances, according to the court documents. He told authorities that he had been in the area that night to check out possible fishing locations. Later, he allegedly admitted to driving Limon to the location, per the court records, but told authorities he’d just dropped his roommate off and then left.

Hisham Abugharbieh

Photo: Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office

Not far from the apartment Limon and Abugharbieh shared investigators discovered a CVS receipt in a dumpster, with a time stamp of 10:47 p.m. on April 16, for trash bags, Lysol wipes, Febreze, Funyons and Irish Springs body wash. Although Abugharbieh denied making the purchase, investigators found a DoorDash order on his phone for the items, per the court records.

Investigators also uncovered silver duct tape, which tested positive for blood.

Inside Limon’s bedroom in the apartment, they found Bristy’s purse and USF identification card, sneakers and an umbrella she was seen carrying in surveillance footage showing her leaving the campus that day, according to The Tampa Bay Times.

RELATED: UMass Amherst Chef of the Year Jeffrey MacDonald Accused of Beating, Killing Wife 

Limon’s wallet, glasses and Bristy’s iPhone case were all discovered inside a trash compactor, authorities said in the documents. In addition, investigators found blood-stained clothing and a kitchen floor mat that had been missing from the apartment.

Inside Abugharbieh’s bedroom, forensic analysis revealed two “relatively human-sized” spots on the carpet that tested positive for blood through chemical testing, according to the court records. Authorities also discovered trash bags and duct tape under Abugharbieh’s bed.

Abugharbieh is currently being held without bond, according to Fox 13.  His pre-trial hearing is scheduled for April 28. It’s unclear whether he has retained an attorney.

The investigation into the deaths of University of South Florida doctoral students Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy has encountered a chilling new development that centers on the timing and authenticity of their final digital footprints. Friends of Nahida Bristy have come forward with revelations about a message received in the hours preceding her disappearance, describing the tone and language as completely uncharacteristic of the dedicated chemical engineering scholar. This testimony has gained significant weight as detectives confirmed a devastating temporal link: the message in question was transmitted exactly 12 minutes after Zamil Limon was last reported alive at his residence. This precise 12-minute window has shifted the investigative focus toward a theory of rapid, sequential interception, suggesting that the perpetrator may have gained control of the couple’s communications almost immediately after the initial confrontation began.

The realization that a message was sent from Nahida’s account that “didn’t sound like hers” has fueled several harrowing hypothetical scenarios regarding the final movements of the two students. One prevailing theory suggests that the 12-minute gap represents the time it took for the suspect to move from Zamil’s location to intercept Nahida, using Zamil’s device or knowledge of their shared plans to lure her into a vulnerable position. In this context, the uncharacteristic message was likely a calculated attempt to delay alarm among her social circle or to explain away a sudden change in her schedule. The linguistic shift noted by her friends—moving from her typical professional and warm tone to something cold or suspiciously brief—is being analyzed by forensic linguists to determine if the message was authored by the suspect, Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh, while he was already in the process of committing the crime.

Another darker possibility explores the idea that the 12-minute interval was the exact duration of a forced digital handover. If Zamil was under duress, the perpetrator might have used those 12 minutes to extract passwords or access to Nahida’s location services, allowing for the subsequent message to be sent as a cover story. The discrepancy in her “voice” via text serves as a digital alarm bell that unfortunately went unheeded in the moment, but now provides a critical timestamp for the prosecution. This breakthrough reinforces the narrative of a highly controlled and premeditated attack, where technology was weaponized to isolate the victims and create a false timeline for investigators.

The impact of this 12-minute confirmation has sent a new wave of shock through the USF community, where the victims were known for their punctuality and constant communication. The idea that Nahida’s digital identity was being manipulated just minutes after Zamil’s life was likely placed in immediate peril adds a layer of predatory sophistication to the case. As detectives cross-reference this timestamp with traffic camera data and cell tower pings, the 12-minute gap has become the definitive bridge between the two abductions. For the families who have sought justice throughout April 2026, this detail offers a painful clarity on how quickly their loved ones were taken and the cold calculation used to silence them both.