Body discovered by kayaker was 2nd missing Florida doctoral student from Bangladesh

Body of Second Missing USF Doctoral Student Found in Tampa Bay, Sheriff Confirms

The remains of Nahida Bristy, the second missing University of South Florida doctoral student from Bangladesh, have been discovered in Tampa Bay, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister confirmed Friday. Her body was found in a garbage bag by a kayaker whose fishing line became snagged on Sunday.

“This is a monstrous crime,” Chronister said during a press conference, noting that the badly decomposed remains required DNA and dental records for positive identification.

Bristy’s friend and fellow USF doctoral student, Zamil Limon, was found two days earlier in a separate garbage bag on a bridge over Tampa Bay. Limon’s roommate, 26-year-old Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh, was arrested the same day and faces two charges of first-degree murder.

Authorities are still investigating the motive behind the killings. “I hope we find that out,” the sheriff remarked, adding that when confronted with evidence, the suspect showed a disturbing lack of emotion. “He was nonreactive,” Chronister said. “He was callous and showed no emotion when we showed him the information we had.”

Investigators believe both students were murdered around the same time and location, though further investigation is needed to confirm this conclusively. The doctoral candidates were reported missing on April 16, initially as separate cases that investigators soon realized were connected.

The investigation intensified when detectives first visited the apartment Limon shared with Abugharbieh and a third roommate. While the third roommate cooperated fully, Abugharbieh provided inconsistent statements and had suspicious injuries including a bandaged finger and an untreated cut on his arm that appeared to require stitches.

A crucial breakthrough came during a second interview with the cooperative roommate, who revealed that Abugharbieh had used a large cart to move items from his room to a trash compactor overnight between April 16 and 17. When investigators searched the compactor, they discovered Limon’s glasses, student ID, wallet, and blood-covered clothing.

This evidence led to a search warrant for the apartment, where investigators found substantial evidence. “A search of the apartment showed large traces of blood in the kitchen, leading down the hall and to inside Abugharbieh’s room,” Chronister explained. Most disturbing was the discovery of blood in the shape of a human body in the fetal position next to Abugharbieh’s bed, revealed by blood-detecting spray.

Forensic examination also uncovered blood traces on the floorboards of Abugharbieh’s car, later identified as Bristy’s. Investigators believe the bodies were transported in a cart to the vehicle under cover of darkness.

The investigation took another dark turn when forensic analysis of Abugharbieh’s phone revealed disturbing search history from the days preceding the disappearances, including queries like “Can a knife penetrate a skull?” and “Can a neighbor hear a gunshot?” Records also showed the suspect had purchased Lysol wipes, heavy-duty contractor-grade trash bags, and other materials before April 16.

“This was calculating. That’s what makes this so premeditated,” Chronister said.

The case has deeply affected the USF community. Limon was pursuing a doctorate in geography, environmental science and policy, while Bristy was studying chemical engineering. Abugharbieh had previously dropped out of the university. Hundreds of students, staff, and faculty gathered Friday afternoon for a campus vigil honoring the victims, with enlarged photos of Limon and Bristy displayed under an oak tree alongside white roses.

When contacted earlier this week, Jennifer Spradley, an attorney with the public defender’s office in Tampa representing Abugharbieh, declined to comment on the case.

The tragic murders have shocked the academic community and raised concerns about campus safety. University officials have offered counseling services to students and faculty affected by the loss of the two promising doctoral candidates.

Authorities continue to piece together the timeline and circumstances surrounding the killings as the investigation progresses. Family members of both victims have been notified of the discoveries.