DNA Confirms USF Doctoral Student Nahida Bristy Among Bridge Remains Found

DNA testing and dental comparison confirmed that the human remains found during the search for University of South Florida doctoral student Nahida Bristy were hers, turning what began as a missing-person search into a death investigation with a suspect already facing murder charges. Investigators also matched the clothing with what Bristy was last seen wearing, a detail that helped close the identification after remains were recovered on Sunday, April 27, 2026, near Interstate 275 and 4th Street North on the St. Petersburg side of the Howard Frankland Bridge.

That identification tied Bristy to the same case in which the remains of fellow USF doctoral student Zamil Limon were found on Friday, April 24, 2026, near the bridge in Tampa Bay. Both students were 27 and from Bangladesh, and authorities said they had been last seen about a week before Limon’s body was found. Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said the family had been notified, and officials were working to release both bodies so relatives in Bangladesh could proceed with religious burial.

The case has now moved squarely into the homicide lane. Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, faces two counts of first-degree murder with a weapon, premeditated, in local reporting. He was also tied to allegations of evidence tampering, false imprisonment, failure to report a death, and unlawfully moving a body. After his initial court appearance, he was ordered held without bond. Prosecutors said investigators presented evidence to the State Attorney’s Office, leading to the upgraded murder charges.

The details have made the case especially disturbing because investigators are not only trying to establish how Bristy and Limon died, but also what happened afterward. NBC News reported that investigators said Abugharbieh asked ChatGPT about putting a person in a dumpster, adding a digital trail to the physical evidence already collected near the bridge. That alleged search history raises fresh questions about concealment, timing, and whether the suspect’s online activity mirrors the steps authorities say followed the killings.

Friends remembered Bristy and Limon as more than classmates. They described the pair as a close support system and a “family away from home,” a reminder that this case extends beyond court filings and crime scene tape. With Bristy now identified, investigators can press deeper into the timeline inside the apartment, the movement of evidence, and the sequence that led from two missing students to a double murder case stretching from Tampa Bay to Bangladesh.