FL FL - Zamil Limon, 27, Nahida S. Bristy, 27, USF doctoral students, 16 Apr 2026 *Arrest*

[MesquiteO21]

View attachment 661786

Suspect Arrested, Remains of One Missing USF Student Located | HCSO, Tampa, FL

HCSO Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Chad Chronister, Tampa, FL

teamhcso.com

thank you for posting. i'm confused...so LE was already looking into him and developing charges related at least to ZL at this point, but then there was a DV incident at a different home than where he and ZL lived so they had no choice but to arrest him today for that? and these charges are a combination from the 2 separate incidences?? i'm presuming, since there was no news of a death in the DV situation from this morning, that the failure to report death and holding or moving a dead body charges are related to ZL. is the battery related to this morning, or is that also related to ZL?

but then ZL's body being found today....was that because he told investigator's where to go? or someone involved in the DV did?

do i have this right? i feel like i might not have this right...

moo

 

[MesquiteO21]

just noticed it's my websleuths 10 year birthday today...a nice 'present' is getting this dangerous guy off the street. ZL sounds like a great person and he absolutely would've been an asset for the world with what he was studying (and Nahida too since i fear she is also gone). what a terrible, unfair loss for so many.

moo

 

[factseeking]

thank you for posting. i'm confused...so LE was already looking into him and developing charges related at least to ZL at this point, but then there was a DV incident at a different home than where he and ZL lived so they had no choice but to arrest him today for that? and these charges are a combination from the 2 separate incidences?? i'm presuming, since there was no news of a death in the DV situation from this morning, that the failure to report death and holding or moving a dead body charges are related to ZL. is the battery related to this morning, or is that also related to ZL?

but then ZL's body being found today....was that because he told investigator's where to go? or someone involved in the DV did?

do i have this right? i feel like i might not have this right...

moo

IMO based on what I've seen/read today:

• Yes there was an alleged DV incident at a different home than where he and ZL lived
• It appears LE was already investigating the roommate but we don't have details of why
• We know there was family at that location at least today because the Chief Deputy at the press conference said the family was safely removed
• I don't know if they had no choice but to arrest him today
• The charges appear to be a mixture of what allegedly happened at the house today and what they suspect him for so far presumably ZL
• Yes there was no death at the home this morning so those charges relate to something else, presumably ZL
• I'm not sure about the battery charge
• We don't know if he told investigators where to go this morning to recover the body; we don't know what tipped the Pinellas County or Hillsborough County sheriffs department to investigate Sand Key yesterday but ZL's body was ON the Howard Frankland this morning (maybe in a black bag) so someone could have seen and reported that. We don't know.

Hopefully I got all that right. Bottom line, there's a lot we don't know yet including where Brisky is.

 

[factseeking]

just noticed it's my websleuths 10 year birthday today...a nice 'present' is getting this dangerous guy off the street. ZL sounds like a great person and he absolutely would've been an asset for the world with what he was studying (and Nahida too since i fear she is also gone). what a terrible, unfair loss for so many.

moo

Congrats on your 10th anniversary!!

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh, 26, was taken into custody after an unrelated domestic violence call from the Lake Forest Community, a neighborhood about a mile away from the USF campus.

HCSO Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer said that deputies were able to get the family out of the home safely, adding that they then commanded Abugharbieh to come outside.

He refused for about 20 minutes, HCSO said, but eventually came out of hiding, clad in a towel, after SWAT officers arrived at the scene at 10:36 a.m. He then surrendered to SWAT officers, who had him sit down in a vehicle, still in the towel.

https://fox8.com/news/video-missing-usf-students-roommate-arrested-in-standoff-charged-after-remains-found/

Abugharbieh’s brother say his sister had previously dated Limon, but not currently.

https://asamnews.com/2026/04/24/usf-phd-student-zamil-limon-killed-roommate-hisham-abugharbieh-arrested-nahida-bristy/

A medical examiner is still determining Limon’s cause of death and may share autopsy results over the weekend, Maurer said.

Before his arrest Friday, Abugharbieh had been interviewed at least twice by law enforcement. He was initially talking to authorities but stopped cooperating as he was being questioned again Thursday, Maurer said.

By Friday, the chief deputy said investigators were able to “link the suspect to this case and to (Limon’s) body.”

The suspect had attended USF between 2021 and 2023 while he pursued a bachelor’s degree in management, a spokesperson for the university told CNN.

Before Limon’s body was found, his brother told CNN the family was in “deep pain” awaiting news.

“It’s devastating for us,” Zubaer Ahmed said. The brother said his family has been anxiously following updates. “We are becoming numb. Anything could be possible. We just want to know the truth or what happened to them, it’s not possible that two students disappear out of nowhere.”

One of two missing University of South Florida doctoral students found dead and a roommate has been named a suspect

By Isabel Rosales, Jason Morris, Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN (CNN) — A missing University of South Florida doctoral student was found dead Friday on a Tampa Bay bridge and his roommate was arrested as a suspect, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said. Two Bangladeshi doctoral students, Zamil...

kioncentralcoast.com

 

[MsOh]

thank you for posting. i'm confused...so LE was already looking into him and developing charges related at least to ZL at this point, but then there was a DV incident at a different home than where he and ZL lived so they had no choice but to arrest him today for that? and these charges are a combination from the 2 separate incidences?? i'm presuming, since there was no news of a death in the DV situation from this morning, that the failure to report death and holding or moving a dead body charges are related to ZL. is the battery related to this morning, or is that also related to ZL?

but then ZL's body being found today....was that because he told investigator's where to go? or someone involved in the DV did?

do i have this right? i feel like i might not have this right...

moo

I’m guessing HA was flagged due to his record + interviews, then between the DV call this morning + finding ZL’s body on the Howard Franklin, LE had justification and urgency to get him behind bars with clear cause. Howard Frankland is a major interstate bridge connecting Tampa and St. Pete, as others have noted, with significant police presence, so a large bag as described would not go unnoticed. He was found at the address where 2023/2025 assaults occurred. He and family attended the nearby high school where my husband worked, so he is a long term resident of the area. I wonder if he implicated himself to family after disposing the body overnight.

 

[CityKid]

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh, 26, was taken into custody after an unrelated domestic violence call from the Lake Forest Community, a neighborhood about a mile away from the USF campus.

HCSO Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer said that deputies were able to get the family out of the home safely, adding that they then commanded Abugharbieh to come outside.

He refused for about 20 minutes, HCSO said, but eventually came out of hiding, clad in a towel, after SWAT officers arrived at the scene at 10:36 a.m. He then surrendered to SWAT officers, who had him sit down in a vehicle, still in the towel.

https://fox8.com/news/video-missing-usf-students-roommate-arrested-in-standoff-charged-after-remains-found/

Abugharbieh’s brother say his sister had previously dated Limon, but not currently.

https://asamnews.com/2026/04/24/usf-phd-student-zamil-limon-killed-roommate-hisham-abugharbieh-arrested-nahida-bristy/

A medical examiner is still determining Limon’s cause of death and may share autopsy results over the weekend, Maurer said.

Before his arrest Friday, Abugharbieh had been interviewed at least twice by law enforcement. He was initially talking to authorities but stopped cooperating as he was being questioned again Thursday, Maurer said.

By Friday, the chief deputy said investigators were able to “link the suspect to this case and to (Limon’s) body.”

The suspect had attended USF between 2021 and 2023 while he pursued a bachelor’s degree in management, a spokesperson for the university told CNN.

Before Limon’s body was found, his brother told CNN the family was in “deep pain” awaiting news.

“It’s devastating for us,” Zubaer Ahmed said. The brother said his family has been anxiously following updates. “We are becoming numb. Anything could be possible. We just want to know the truth or what happened to them, it’s not possible that two students disappear out of nowhere.”

One of two missing University of South Florida doctoral students found dead and a roommate has been named a suspect

By Isabel Rosales, Jason Morris, Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN (CNN) — A missing University of South Florida doctoral student was found dead Friday on a Tampa Bay bridge and his roommate was arrested as a suspect, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said. Two Bangladeshi doctoral students, Zamil...

kioncentralcoast.com

Hmm. This story says both "Authorities found Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh at the home he shared with Limon" but other stories said Limon lived on Avalon Heights Blvd.

 

[Leilei]

I read on one booking sheet he was 70” which is 5’8”. Shorty. And 270lbs!

What the heck with these different booking reports! And it's the same guy, same birthdate.
Oh well, even in that towel, he's still intimidating to me.
IMO.

 

[MsOh]

What the heck with these different booking reports! And it's the same guy, same birthdate.
Oh well, even in that towel, he's still intimidating to me.
IMO.

Hmm. This story says both "Authorities found Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh at the home he shared with Limon" but other stories said Limon lived on Avalon Heights Blvd.

A lot of haphazard reporting. It’s also said that he’s a doctoral student but his LinkedIn shows Masters. May also be worth noting that ZL’s office is in the NES building, where NB was last seen. NB’s department works out of a different building.

 

[Snoopster]

<snipped and bolded for focus>

Abugharbieh’s brother say his sister had previously dated Limon, but not currently.

https://asamnews.com/2026/04/24/usf-phd-student-zamil-limon-killed-roommate-hisham-abugharbieh-arrested-nahida-bristy/

I wonder if Abugharbieh believed he was avenging for his sister.

 

[broadviewren]

I read on one booking sheet he was 70” which is 5’8”. Shorty. And 270lbs!

70" is actually 5' 10".
But a big guy

 

[Natashaaa]

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh, 26, was taken into custody after an unrelated domestic violence call from the Lake Forest Community, a neighborhood about a mile away from the USF campus.

HCSO Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer said that deputies were able to get the family out of the home safely, adding that they then commanded Abugharbieh to come outside.

He refused for about 20 minutes, HCSO said, but eventually came out of hiding, clad in a towel, after SWAT officers arrived at the scene at 10:36 a.m. He then surrendered to SWAT officers, who had him sit down in a vehicle, still in the towel.

https://fox8.com/news/video-missing-usf-students-roommate-arrested-in-standoff-charged-after-remains-found/

Abugharbieh’s brother say his sister had previously dated Limon, but not currently.

https://asamnews.com/2026/04/24/usf-phd-student-zamil-limon-killed-roommate-hisham-abugharbieh-arrested-nahida-bristy/

A medical examiner is still determining Limon’s cause of death and may share autopsy results over the weekend, Maurer said.

Before his arrest Friday, Abugharbieh had been interviewed at least twice by law enforcement. He was initially talking to authorities but stopped cooperating as he was being questioned again Thursday, Maurer said.

By Friday, the chief deputy said investigators were able to “link the suspect to this case and to (Limon’s) body.”

The suspect had attended USF between 2021 and 2023 while he pursued a bachelor’s degree in management, a spokesperson for the university told CNN.

Before Limon’s body was found, his brother told CNN the family was in “deep pain” awaiting news.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh, 26, was taken into custody after an unrelated domestic violence call from the Lake Forest Community, a neighborhood about a mile away from the USF campus.

HCSO Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer said that deputies were able to get the family out of the home safely, adding that they then commanded Abugharbieh to come outside.

He refused for about 20 minutes, HCSO said, but eventually came out of hiding, clad in a towel, after SWAT officers arrived at the scene at 10:36 a.m. He then surrendered to SWAT officers, who had him sit down in a vehicle, still in the towel.

https://fox8.com/news/video-missing-usf-students-roommate-arrested-in-standoff-charged-after-remains-found/

Abugharbieh’s brother say his sister had previously dated Limon, but not currently.

https://asamnews.com/2026/04/24/usf-phd-student-zamil-limon-killed-roommate-hisham-abugharbieh-arrested-nahida-bristy/

A medical examiner is still determining Limon’s cause of death and may share autopsy results over the weekend, Maurer said.

Before his arrest Friday, Abugharbieh had been interviewed at least twice by law enforcement. He was initially talking to authorities but stopped cooperating as he was being questioned again Thursday, Maurer said.

By Friday, the chief deputy said investigators were able to “link the suspect to this case and to (Limon’s) body.”

The suspect had attended USF between 2021 and 2023 while he pursued a bachelor’s degree in management, a spokesperson for the university told CNN.

Before Limon’s body was found, his brother told CNN the family was in “deep pain” awaiting news.

“It’s devastating for us,” Zubaer Ahmed said. The brother said his family has been anxiously following updates. “We are becoming numb. Anything could be possible. We just want to know the truth or what happened to them, it’s not possible that two students disappear out of nowhere.”

One of two missing University of South Florida doctoral students found dead and a roommate has been named a suspect

By Isabel Rosales, Jason Morris, Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN (CNN) — A missing University of South Florida doctoral student was found dead Friday on a Tampa Bay bridge and his roommate was arrested as a suspect, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said. Two Bangladeshi doctoral students, Zamil...

kioncentralcoast.com

The article you shared has a lot of incorrect information.

Also, “Abugharbieh’s brother say his sister had previously dated Limon, but not currently.” Nahida’s brother said his sister had previously dated Limon but currently.

Limon never dated Abugharbieh’s sister!!

 

[Natashaaa]

I wonder if Abugharbieh believed he was avenging for his sister.

The article is wrong. It was Nahida’s brother who had stated that Limon had previously dated his sister.

Limon never dated Abugharbieh’s sister.

 

[Snoopster]

The article you shared has a lot of incorrect information.

Also, “Abugharbieh’s brother say his sister had previously dated Limon, but not currently.” Nahida’s brother said his sister had previously dated Limon but currently.

Limon never dated Abugharbieh’s sister!!

Welcome to Websleuths Natashaa. Are you familiar with the parties involved in this case? If so, I'm so sorry that you have been touched by tragedy.

 

[Natashaaa]

Welcome to Websleuths Natashaa. Are you familiar with the parties involved in this case? If so, I'm so sorry that you have been touched by tragedy.

Thank you, Snoopster. Yes, Bristy is my friend.

 

[Snoopster]

Thank you, Snoopster. Yes, Bristy is my friend.

Oh dear. I am so, so sorry. This must be so difficult for you. I wish I could reach through the screen and give you the biggest hug!

 

[PayrollNerd]

My youngest graduated from USF (Sarasota-Bradenton location) so I’m on the parent email distribution list. This evening at 7:27pm, the college president, Moez Limayem, PhD, sent us an email covering this tragedy.

In it he confirmed per LE that Abugharbieh acted alone, and that he was not a student or employee of USF.

The USF leadership have spoken with the families, and are offering support services to students, faculty and staff.

JMO: some of these students are still young adults and likely have little experience with the death of someone close. I do hope they will take advantage of the support services being offered. It’s nearing the end of the semester and struggling with emotions and loss, while attempting to study for exams, will be difficult.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Missing USF doctoral students: Zamil Limon's body found, search continues for Nahida S. Bristy
Missing USF doctoral students: Zamil Limon's body found, search continues for Nahida S. Bristy

 

[factseeking]

Thank you, Snoopster. Yes, Bristy is my friend.

I'm so sorry . This is a terrible tragedy .

 

[Snoopster]

Thank you, Snoopster. Yes, Bristy is my friend.

You refer to her as Bristy. What name does she generally go by? Nahida or Bristy? I just want to respect who she is.