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Published : 26 Apr 2026, 02:37 PM
As investigators in Florida pursue the case involving two missing Bangladeshi students from the University of South Florida (USF), more details are emerging about Hisham Abugharbieh, the former student arrested after the recovery of Zamil Ahmed Limon’s body.
Abugharbieh, 27, was arrested on Sunday, with the development becoming public the following day.
According to Florida Today, he was initially charged with domestic violence, tampering with evidence, and unlawfully storing or moving a dead body.
Less than 24 hours later, police added two counts of premeditated murder with a weapon, the report said.
He is now accused in the deaths of two Bangladeshi doctoral students at USF, Limon and Nahida Bristy, who were reported missing a week before his arrest.
In a statement, the sheriff’s office said evidence had been submitted to the State Attorney’s Office and that additional charges had been brought against Abuaglaibieh. It added that the search for Bristy was continuing.
CBS News reported that police had informed Bristy’s family they did not believe she was alive. Investigators suspect she was also killed, citing the amount of blood found at Abugharbieh’s home.
Abugharbieh, a US citizen, lived with Limon in an apartment about a mile from the USF campus. It remains unclear how long the two had lived together or how long they had known one another.
Florida Today said Limon and Bristy had been described as friends, but it was not clear what relationship, if any, existed between Abugharbieh and Bristy.
Abugharbieh is no longer a student or employee of USF, though the university said he had been enrolled there from 2021 to 2023 and had studied management.
A university spokesperson said he had a criminal history, including allegations of theft and battery in 2023. In the same year, a relative also filed two domestic violence cases against him.
Why He Was Arrested
Police were called to Abugharbieh’s family home near the USF campus on Monday morning local time after reports of a domestic dispute.
Detectives were able to bring his family members out safely, but Abugharbieh initially refused to leave the house.
A SWAT team was later sent in, and he eventually came out without incident, shirtless, with a towel wrapped around his waist and both hands raised.
Investigators said he had initially spoken to them and had also been questioned the previous day, but later stopped cooperating.
Earlier that same morning, Limon’s remains were found beneath Tampa’s Howard Frankland Bridge. His body was taken to the county medical examiner’s office to determine the cause of death.
The autopsy results have not yet been released.
Investigators are still searching for Bristy’s body, with divers continuing to search waters beneath the bridge.
A family member reported Limon and Bristy missing shortly before 5pm on Apr 17 after being unable to contact them. The missing persons report was recorded by both the University of South Florida Police Department and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Limon and Bristy, both 27, had gone to the US as international students two years ago and enrolled at USF. Their families say they had not been heard from since the morning of Apr 16.
Limon, a graduate of Khulna University, was pursuing a PhD in geography, environmental science and policy. Bristy, a former student of Noakhali Science and Technology University, was studying chemical engineering.
Limon’s younger brother, Zubayer Ahmed, told a Florida news outlet from Bangladesh that Limon and Bristy had been in a relationship for four and a half years and had decided to marry. Their families had no objection, but the couple had wanted to complete their higher studies first.
