Two USF doctoral students from Bangladesh reported missing in Tampa area

University of South Florida police and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office are searching for two 27-year-old doctoral students from Bangladesh who were reported missing after being last seen in the Tampa area on April 16.

Authorities identified the students as Zamil Limon and Nahida S. Bristy. Police said Limon was last seen around 9 a.m. at his residence on Avalon Heights Boulevard near the USF campus, while Bristy was last seen around 10 a.m. at the Natural & Environmental Sciences Building on USF’s Tampa campus. Investigators believe the pair are together.

A family friend reported both missing on April 17 at about 4:50 p.m. after being unable to reach them. Police said both students’ phones are off, and there has been no confirmed contact with Limon since he was last seen. The university police department said both have been entered into state and national missing-person databases as detectives widen the search.

Limon is a doctoral student in geography, environmental science and policy. Bristy is pursuing a doctorate in chemical engineering. A police spokesperson said their failure to respond and miss class for several days was unusual, a detail that has deepened concern among investigators and the students’ families.

Family members have described the disappearance as distressing and out of character. Limon’s brother said the situation is suspicious and unusual for him, adding that it is not like Limon to miss class and remain unreachable. He also said the two students had discussed the possibility of marriage in the future, though both were focused on finishing their degrees first.

The university police department and the sheriff’s office continue to investigate and have asked anyone with information to call USF police at 813-974-2628. As the search enters its second week, the case has drawn attention to the vulnerability of graduate students who live and study across multiple campus locations, often moving between home, laboratories and classrooms with little margin for missed contact or delay.