Body Found Near Florida Bridge: Authorities Suspect Missing Student Linked to Deceased Boyfriend

In Hillsborough County, Florida, law enforcement officials have discovered human remains in the waters adjacent to the Howard Frankland Bridge, located near Interstate 275 in St. Petersburg. This is the same area where the body of one of two missing Bangladeshi students from the University of South Florida was found just days ago.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office released a statement on Sunday night confirming the recovery of the body from the nearby waterways, though an official identification has yet to be made.

Investigators suspect the remains may belong to Nahida Bristy, a 27-year-old doctoral student in chemical engineering at USF, who has been missing since April 16th.

Dive teams have been scouring Tampa Bay in proximity to the bridge, conducting an ongoing search for Bristy after the discovery of her boyfriend, Zamil Limon, also 27, whose body was found last Friday. His remains were inside several black garbage bags and showed significant decomposition.

Their disappearance on April 16th has puzzled authorities: Limon was last seen at 9:00 a.m. at his Avalon Heights Boulevard residence, while Bristy's last known location was around 10:00 a.m. at the Natural and Environmental Sciences building on campus.

Bristy left behind her laptop, tablet, purse, and lunchbox in the lab on the day she vanished, although her wallet and phone were missing.

The case took a dramatic turn with the arrest of Limon's roommate, Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh, 26, who was apprehended on Friday after barricading himself in his family home north of the USF campus following a domestic violence report.

A SWAT team, crisis negotiators, a drone, and a robot were deployed before the suspect surrendered peacefully, reportedly wearing only a blue towel.

On Saturday, Abugharbieh was formally charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a weapon in the deaths of Limon and Bristy, and was ordered to remain in custody without bail.

Court documents unveiled chilling details suggesting premeditation: on April 13th, just three days before the disappearances, Abugharbieh used ChatGPT to inquire about the consequences of placing a person in a black garbage bag and throwing it into a dumpster, followed by the question, "How would they find out?"

That evening, the suspect's phone was logged on the Howard Frankland Bridge, where Limon's remains were later discovered.

Forensic evidence in the shared apartment included extensive blood traces in the lobby, kitchen, hallway, and suspect's bedroom, along with Limon's wallet, glasses, student ID, and Bristy's pink iPhone case, which were found in the apartment complex's trash compactor.

A CVS receipt timestamped at 10:47 p.m. on April 16th showed a purchase of garbage bags, disinfectant wipes, air freshener, and other items, although Abugharbieh denied making the purchase.

Abugharbieh, a natural-born U.S. citizen, attended USF between 2021 and 2023, pursuing a bachelor's degree in management, but was not enrolled at the time of the incident. He has prior criminal records for battery and domestic violence in 2023.

USF President Moez Limayem stated that Abugharbieh acted alone, assuring that "there is no ongoing threat to the safety of the university community."

The discovery of Limon's body last Friday has shocked the university community and sparked reactions in Bangladesh, where the Noakhali University of Science and Technology, Bristy's alma mater, has called for justice and compensation for the victim's family.

An upcoming court hearing for Abugharbieh is scheduled for Tuesday, April 29th. In Florida, premeditated first-degree murder is a capital offense that may result in the death penalty or life imprisonment without parole.