University of South Florida doctoral student found dead, roommate arrested

Zamil Limon, a 27-year-old doctoral student at the University of South Florida (USF), was found dead Friday on the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa, authorities said. His roommate, 26-year-old Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh, was arrested at their home following a domestic violence incident and faces multiple charges including domestic violence, evidence tampering, and failure to report a death.

Limon and fellow doctoral student Nahida S. Bristy, also 27 and from Bangladesh, were both reported missing after last being seen on April 16. Limon was last seen at 9 a.m. at his Tampa residence, while Bristy was last seen at 10 a.m. in the Natural and Environmental Sciences Building on the USF Tampa campus. Bristy remains missing as authorities continue their search.

Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said the body of Limon was discovered Friday morning, and an autopsy is underway to determine the cause of death. The sheriff’s office received a domestic violence call at around 9 a.m. Friday at the suspect’s home in the Lake Forest Community, a neighborhood near USF’s Tampa campus.

Maurer described that family members present at the home were able to leave safely. When deputies arrived, Abugharbieh initially refused to come out, prompting a 20-minute standoff that ended peacefully after a SWAT team was called in. Abugharbieh was taken into custody without further incident.

Authorities elevated Limon and Bristy’s status to endangered on Thursday after new information emerged, though details were not disclosed. Limon was pursuing a doctoral degree in geography, environmental science, and policy, focusing on the use of artificial intelligence in environmental science. He was scheduled to present his doctoral thesis this week, according to his family. Bristy was studying chemical engineering.

Bristy’s older brother, Zahid Pranto, told CBS News that she typically maintained daily contact with her family. “There has been no single day without contact with her,” he said. “My family is just devastated.”