The body of a missing University of South Florida doctoral student was found on a Tampa Bay bridge on Friday, and his roommate was arrested and named a suspect in the case.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister confirmed that the remains of 27-year-old Zamil Limon were discovered on the Howard Frankland Bridge on the morning of Apr. 24, 2026. Limon, who was from Bangladesh and studying geography, environmental science, and policy, had been missing since April 16.
Limon's roommate, Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh, 26, was taken into custody after law enforcement responded to a domestic violence call at a residence about one mile from the USF Tampa campus, according to CNN.
Abugharbieh initially barricaded himself inside the home before a SWAT team was deployed. He eventually surrendered peacefully and was seen exiting the property wearing only a towel.
Abugharbieh now faces multiple preliminary charges, including unlawfully holding or moving a dead human body, failure to report a death to the medical examiner or law enforcement with intent to conceal, tampering with physical evidence, false imprisonment, and battery.
Authorities said he had been interviewed at least twice before his arrest and was initially cooperating with investigators before he stopped talking during questioning on Thursday. The cause of Limon's death is still being determined pending autopsy results, the Hindustan Times reported.
Abugharbieh is a former USF student who was not enrolled at the time of the incident. University records show he attended USF from spring 2021 through spring 2023, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in management. He also has a prior arrest history, including battery and burglary charges in 2023, both classified as misdemeanors.
The search for Limon's girlfriend and fellow doctoral student, 27-year-old Nahida Bristy, remains ongoing. Bristy, who was studying chemical engineering, was last seen around 10 a.m. on Apr. 16 at the Natural and Environmental Sciences Building on the USF Tampa campus. Marine and dive teams were conducting searches near the Howard Frankland Bridge for Bristy.
Both Limon and Bristy were reported missing on Apr. 17 by a family friend who could not reach either of them. Their phones had been turned off, and their disappearances were later upgraded to "endangered" status by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office on Apr. 23. Authorities said they have no reason to believe Abugharbieh was working with anyone else.
USF President Moez Limayem described the case as an "isolated situation that occurred off campus" and stated there is no ongoing threat to the university community. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone with information about Bristy's whereabouts to call 813-247-8200, as per WUSF.
