The body of a University of South Florida doctoral student was discovered Friday morning on the Howard Frankland Bridge spanning Tampa Bay, prompting the arrest of his roommate on multiple charges. The remains of Zamil Limon, 27, were recovered as law enforcement continues searching for his missing partner, fellow doctoral candidate Nahida Bristy, also 27.
Hisham Saleh Abugharbeih, 26, was taken into custody at his family's home on preliminary charges including unlawfully moving a dead body, failure to report a death, tampering with evidence, false imprisonment and battery. Officers arrived at the residence responding to a domestic violence report, where they secured his relatives before Abugharbeih barricaded himself inside. A tactical team, drone, robot and crisis negotiators were deployed before he eventually emerged with his hands raised.
Limon and Bristy, who were a couple and had been considering marriage, both vanished from the USF campus on April 16. Limon, a geography and environmental science doctoral student, was last seen at his off-campus apartment where he lived with Abugharbeih. Bristy, pursuing a doctorate in chemical engineering and living on campus, was spotted an hour later at a science building. A family friend alerted authorities the next day after being unable to reach either of them.
Abugharbeih, a U.S. citizen, attended USF from spring 2021 through spring 2023, pursuing a bachelor's degree in management, but was not enrolled at the time of the incident. He had previously been arrested multiple times, facing battery and burglary charges in September 2023 and battery charges the previous May, both classified as misdemeanors. Court records indicate he may have participated in a diversion program. Additionally, two domestic violence petitions were filed against him in 2023 by a family member, one resulting in an injunction being granted.
Investigators interviewed Abugharbeih on Thursday, but he terminated the questioning. He was speaking with detectives again following his Friday morning arrest. An autopsy was being conducted to determine the cause and manner of Limon's death, with results expected to be available Saturday morning.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister called the case deeply disturbing and pledged that detectives would work tirelessly to uncover the truth. No other suspects are currently being pursued in the investigation. Sheriff officials are appealing to the public for information regarding Bristy's whereabouts.
Author James Rodriguez: "Two young scholars with their whole lives ahead of them, and now one family gets a recovery while another still waits for answers."
Comments