Authorities have confirmed the identification of the second missing University of South Florida doctoral student from Bangladesh whose remains were discovered in Tampa Bay, marking a grim development in a double homicide investigation that has shaken the university community.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister announced Friday that the remains of Nahida Bristy were found Sunday inside a garbage bag in Tampa Bay after a kayaker’s fishing line became snagged, leading to the discovery. Due to decomposition, officials said positive identification was made through DNA testing and dental records.
Bristy’s death follows the earlier discovery of her friend and fellow USF doctoral student, Zamil Limon, whose body was found two days prior in another garbage bag located on a bridge over the bay.
Authorities say Limon’s roommate, Hisham Saleh Abugharbeih, was taken into custody the same day and is facing two counts of murder in connection with the case.
Sheriff Chronister described Abugharbeih’s reaction during questioning as unsettling, stating that he showed no emotional response when confronted with evidence.
“He was nonreactive,” Chronister said. “He was callous and showed no emotion when we showed him the information we had.”
Investigators believe both victims were killed around the same time and in a similar location, though officials emphasized that further forensic work is needed to confirm the full timeline of events.
At this stage, authorities have not determined a motive for the killings, and the investigation remains ongoing as detectives continue to piece together what led to the deaths of the two students.
The case has left the USF community and the victims’ home country of Bangladesh in mourning, as classmates, faculty, and loved ones grapple with the loss of two promising young scholars whose lives were cut short under tragic circumstances.
