A missing University of South Florida doctoral student was found dead on the Tampa Bay Bridge on Friday and his roommate was arrested as a suspect, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said.
Two Bangladeshi doctoral students, Zameer Limon and Nahida Bristi, have been missing since last week. But Limon’s body was found Friday on the Howard Frankland Bridge and Bristi has still not been found, the Sheriff’s Office said.
“This is a deeply disturbing case that has shocked our community and impacted many who were hoping for a safe resolution,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement.
Limon’s roommate, Hisham Abugharbieh, was arrested Friday morning after law enforcement was called to his home on suspicion of domestic violence, according to Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer.
Abuhabi, a 26-year-old former University of South Florida student, now faces charges of battery, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, failure to report a death and unlawful removal of a body, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Limon and Bristy, both 27, were reported missing by family friends on April 17. They were last seen near the university campus the day before, according to university police.
Maurer said the medical examiner is still determining Limon’s cause of death and may share autopsy results over the weekend.
Limon’s family told CNN they are desperate to know what happened to the happy, promising young researcher.
As the investigation and search for Bristi continues, university president Mozy Limayem said his staff will be in contact with the student’s loved ones to offer support.
“Please join me in praying for Zamir’s family and friends and for Nasheida’s safe return,” Limayem said in a message to teachers and students.
Roommate already on investigators’ radar
Abouhabi was interviewed by law enforcement at least twice before his arrest on Friday. Maurer said he was initially talking to authorities but stopped cooperating when he was questioned again Thursday.
By Friday, the chief deputy said investigators were able to “link the suspect to this case and (Lemon’s) body.”
The Sheriff’s Office said Abuhabi locked himself in his home during his arrest, requiring a SWAT team and crisis negotiators to respond. Video of his arrest shows an armored vehicle pulling up to the front yard and Abuhabiya walking out the front door with his hands raised and a towel tied around his waist.
Abuhabiya was arrested at his home after a judge barred him from entering the home over domestic violence charges brought by his brother.
Court records show the suspect was arrested twice on assault charges in 2023 that were later dismissed. But after one of the incidents, his brother applied for an injunction banning Abu Khabi from coming near him or his home. In court documents, the younger brother claims Abuhabi assaulted him and his mother during an argument when the younger brother told him to leave the home.
After the ban expired last May, his brother asked the court to extend it, saying he did not want to “risk returning home.” His request was denied.
Hisham Abuharbieh, 26, was arrested Friday in connection with the death of his roommate, Zamil Limon, authorities announced. -Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
A spokesman for the university told CNN that the suspect attended the University of South Florida from 2021 to 2023, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in management.
‘We became numb,’ student’s brother says
The students have been missing since last week, prompting friends in Florida and relatives in Bangladesh to search for answers.
Before Limon’s body was found, his brother told CNN the family was in “deep anguish” as they awaited news.
“This is devastating for us,” Zubar Ahmed said. The brother said his family has been anxiously following the latest news. “We become numb. Anything is possible. We just want to know the truth or know what happened to them. There’s no way two students just disappeared into thin air.”
Zamir Limon planned to return to Bangladesh this summer to visit his family, his brother said. – Zamir Limon family
Police said Limon was last seen around 9 a.m. on April 16 at his off-campus home, about three blocks from the university campus. Since fall 2024, he has been studying for a degree in geography, environmental science and policy.
Bristi was last seen about an hour later at the Natural and Environmental Sciences Building on campus, police said. She enrolled at the university last fall to study chemical engineering.
The next day, a family friend was unable to contact the couple and notified campus police.
Detectives have been following leads and searching multiple locations as the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday upgraded the pair’s status to “endangered” citing new “revealed information.”
Limon has discussed marrying Bristi
Limon spoke highly of Bristi to his family in Bangladesh, telling them he was courting her and the two had discussed the possibility of marriage, his brother said.
“He said she was a good girl and she had many talents, such as she could sing and cook well,” said younger brother Ahmed.
Limon had spent the past two years working on his thesis on how to use generative artificial intelligence to monitor shrinking wetlands in South Florida, his brother said.
“My brother was a very decent man, a very simple man,” Ahmed said. “He always had a smile on his face.”
After completing his PhD, Limon wanted to return to Bangladesh and find a job as a university professor, Ahmed said.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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