A roommate was arrested after deputies found Zamil Limon’s remains near the Howard Frankland Bridge.
TAMPA, Fla. — A University of South Florida doctoral student missing for more than a week was found dead Friday near the Howard Frankland Bridge, while a second student remained missing and a roommate was arrested, authorities said.
The death of Zamil Limon, 27, turned a missing persons search into a broader criminal investigation involving the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, USF police, dive teams and prosecutors. Authorities said Limon’s roommate, Hisham Saleh Abugharbeih, 26, faced preliminary charges, but officials had not announced a homicide charge or released Limon’s cause of death.
Limon and Nahida Bristy, also 27, were last seen April 16 at separate places in Tampa, according to authorities. Limon, a doctoral student in geography, environmental science and policy, was last seen about 9 a.m. at his home in an off-campus apartment complex where he lived with Abugharbeih. Bristy, a doctoral student in chemical engineering, was last seen about 10 a.m. at the Natural and Environmental Sciences Building on the USF campus. A family friend contacted USF police April 17 after being unable to reach either student. Hillsborough County Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer said Friday, “We are still actively searching for Nahida,” as law enforcement teams continued working the case.
Authorities said Limon’s remains were found Friday morning near the Howard Frankland Bridge, the major span over Tampa Bay that connects Tampa and St. Petersburg. Officials did not immediately say how long the remains may have been there, whether the bridge was where Limon died or what evidence led investigators to that area. Dive teams searched the water near the bridge as deputies continued looking for Bristy. Maurer said investigators had no other suspects at that point. He also said detectives had spoken with Abugharbeih on Thursday, but Abugharbeih ended that interview. Maurer said Abugharbeih was being questioned again after his arrest Friday morning.
The arrest followed a domestic violence call about 9 a.m. Friday at a home in the Lake Forest community, north of the USF campus near Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and Lake Forest Drive. Deputies said they moved relatives safely out of the home before Abugharbeih barricaded himself inside and refused to come out. A SWAT team, crisis negotiators, a drone and a robot were called to the scene. Authorities said Abugharbeih later came out with his hands raised and was taken into custody. The preliminary charges included domestic violence, battery, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, failure to report a death and unlawfully moving a dead body.
Limon and Bristy were both from Bangladesh and were in the United States as students, officials and relatives said. A relative said they were a couple and had discussed marriage, though both were focused on their doctoral studies. Limon had attended USF since fall 2024. Bristy had attended USF since fall 2025. University officials said Bristy lived on campus and did not live with Limon or Abugharbeih. Friends and family described both students as responsible and in close contact with loved ones, which made their sudden disappearance alarming to those who knew them. Bristy’s relatives said she had spoken with family the day she vanished.
University records showed Abugharbeih had attended USF from spring 2021 through spring 2023 and had pursued a bachelor’s degree in management, but he was not enrolled at the time of the investigation. Authorities said he had prior arrests, including misdemeanor cases tied to battery and burglary of an unoccupied dwelling. Court records cited in the case showed those charges were later discontinued after he completed a diversion program. Records also showed two domestic violence petitions filed by a family member in 2023, with an injunction granted in one case and denied in the other. Officials did not describe those records as a motive in Limon’s death or Bristy’s disappearance.
USF President Moez Limayem told the university community that investigators described the case as isolated, off campus and not an ongoing threat to campus safety. He said university leaders had spoken with relatives and friends of the students in recent days. Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister called the case “deeply disturbing” and said it had shaken people who hoped both students would be found safe. Chronister said detectives were working to uncover the truth. Maurer said an autopsy would determine Limon’s cause and manner of death, with results expected Saturday morning. Abugharbeih was also expected to make his first court appearance Saturday.
As of Friday evening, Bristy remained missing, Abugharbeih remained in custody and search teams were still focused on the area near the Howard Frankland Bridge. Investigators had not said how Limon died, where he died or what happened to Bristy after she was last seen April 16.
Author note: Last updated April 24, 2026.