Former USF student charged in murders of two Bangladeshi doctoral students

Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a weapon after the disappearance of two University of South Florida doctoral students from Bangladesh turned into a homicide investigation. Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, both 27, were last seen on April 16, and authorities said the case involved off-campus killings with no ongoing threat to the university community.

The search widened through the Tampa area as law enforcement pieced together the students’ last known movements. Limon was last seen near his residence, while Bristy was last seen at the NES Building on USF’s Tampa campus. On Friday morning, April 24, Limon’s remains were found on the Howard Frankland Bridge. Bristy remained missing as of April 25, and authorities asked anyone with information to contact law enforcement.

Investigators initially took Abugharbieh into custody on preliminary charges including unlawfully moving a dead body, failure to report a death, tampering with evidence, false imprisonment and battery. By April 25, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said evidence supported two counts of first-degree murder. Officials also said Abugharbieh acted alone. USF said he was born in the United States, is a citizen, and is not a current student or employee.

For USF, the case has become a painful test of how universities respond when students vanish far from home and the facts unfold slowly. Limon had studied geography and environmental science and policy at the university since fall 2024. Bristy had studied chemical engineering since fall 2025. Both were far from Bangladesh when they went missing, and the university said it had been in contact with their families, along with the Bangladeshi Embassy and Consulate General.

USF President Moez Limayem said counseling and support services were available to students, faculty and staff, while the university stressed that the incidents occurred off campus. That distinction mattered to a campus community already trying to separate immediate safety concerns from the broader grief and uncertainty around Bristy’s disappearance. With Limon identified and Bristy still missing, the case now rests on the continuing search, the evidence gathered by deputies, and the difficult question of whether warning signs were missed before two young doctoral students disappeared.