Hillsborough County Sheriff Says Zamil Limon Found Dead; Hisham Abugharbieh Taken Into Custody

A missing University of South Florida doctoral student, Zamil Limon, was found dead Friday on a bridge over Tampa Bay, while his roommate was taken into custody and another doctoral student, Nahida Bristy, remained missing.

“1 missing USF doctoral student found dead, roommate in custody: Sheriff Zamil Limon's remains were found and Nahida Bristy is still missing”

ABC News

Hillsborough County Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer said investigators found Limon’s remains on the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa Friday morning, and “We are still actively searching for Nahida,” Maurer told reporters.

ABC News

Multiple outlets tied the discovery to a domestic violence call that brought law enforcement to the suspect’s home, where Hisham Abugharbieh barricaded himself before surrendering.

ABC News reported that investigators received a 911 call for a domestic violence disturbance around 9 a.m. Friday at a residence where Limon’s roommate, Hisham Abugharbieh, had barricaded himself, and that after a brief standoff “the suspect surrendered.”

CNN similarly said Abugharbieh was arrested Friday morning after law enforcement was called to his home for a reported domestic violence incident, and that “This is a deeply disturbing case that has shaken our community and impacted many who were hoping for a safe resolution,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said.

NBC News and NewsNation both described dive teams searching the waters around Howard Frankland Bridge as the investigation continued for Bristy.

The case began with the students going missing on April 16, with ABC News saying Limon and Bristy were last seen at separate locations in the Tampa area on April 16, and CNN saying they were reported missing by a family friend on April 17 after they disappeared from campus the previous day.

Law enforcement’s actions centered on Hisham Abugharbieh, the roommate taken into custody after a domestic violence call and a standoff at his family’s home.

ABC News said Joseph Maurer told reporters that investigators received a 911 call around 9 a.m. Friday at the residence where Abugharbieh “had barricaded himself,” and that after a brief standoff “the suspect surrendered.”

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ABC7 Chicago described the same sequence, saying officers encountered Abugharbieh as they responded to a report of domestic violence at his family’s home “just north of the campus,” and that he barricaded himself inside and refused to come out before he “came out peacefully after a SWAT team responded.”

CNN added that Abugharbieh barricaded himself inside a home, requiring a SWAT team and crisis negotiators to respond, and it described video showing an armored vehicle in the front yard as Abugharbieh walked out with “a bath towel tied around his waist.”

NBC 6 South Florida and the Guardian both said a special tactical response occurred, with NBC 6 South Florida mentioning “a SWAT team responded — along with a drone, a robot and crisis negotiators,” and the Guardian saying “A special tactical team responded, along with a drone, a robot and crisis negotiators.”

The Guardian also quoted Sheriff Chad Chronister saying, “While the discovery of Zamil Limon’s remains is heartbreaking, I want the public to know that our detectives worked and are working tirelessly and relentlessly to uncover the truth.”

Across outlets, the arrest was framed as the turning point after Limon’s body was found, with ABC News reporting that Abugharbieh was taken into custody and that investigators had been searching for Limon and Bristy since they went missing on April 16.

After the arrest, authorities listed multiple charges against Abugharbieh, and several outlets described his prior legal history.

ABC News said Abugharbieh was charged with unlawfully holding or move a dead human body in unapproved conditions, failure to report a death to the medical examiner or law enforcement (intent to conceal), tampering with physical evidence, false imprisonment and battery, and it added that the sheriff’s office said he was not a current USF student or employee.

ABC7 Chicago similarly said Abugharbieh was taken into custody on preliminary charges that include domestic violence, battery, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, failure to report a death and unlawfully moving a body, and it reported that an autopsy was being done to determine the manner and cause of Limon’s death with results expected Saturday morning.

CNN listed charges including battery, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, failure to report a death, and unlawfully moving a dead body, and it also said Abugharbieh faced charges of battery, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, failure to report a death, and unlawfully moving a dead body.

NBC News described the domestic violence call as coming Friday morning around 9 a.m. local time and said deputies commanded the suspect to come out, then refused, and after about 20 minutes a SWAT team was called.

For background, ABC News said Abugharbieh was previously interviewed by police during their investigation into the disappearances, and it reported that he was seen exiting the home with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.

ABC7 Chicago and the Guardian both reported that Abugharbieh had been a USF student but was not currently enrolled, and that university records showed he attended from Spring 2021 through Spring 2023 while pursuing a BS in Management.

CNN and NBC 6 South Florida added that Abugharbieh had been arrested twice in 2023 on charges of battery that were later dropped, and that court records showed domestic violence petitions filed by a family member in 2023, with a judge granting an injunction in one case and denying the other.

University leadership and family members responded as the search for Nahida Bristy continued and the cause of Zamil Limon’s death was still being determined.

ABC News quoted USF President Moez Limayem saying, “there is "no ongoing threat to the safety of the university community."” and it reported that Limayem expressed “deep sadness” over Limon’s death and prayed for Bristy’s “safe return.”

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CNN also quoted Limayem telling the campus community, “Please join me in praying for the families and friends of Zamil, and for the safe return of Nahida,” and it said his staff would remain in contact with the students’ loved ones to provide support.

FOX 13 Tampa Bay reported that an email obtained by FOX 13 showed Limayem confirmed Limon’s death after an update from HCSO and said Bristy remains missing as the investigation continues, while also noting the suspect Hisham Abugharbieh is in custody.

For family voices, CNN quoted Zubaer Ahmed, the brother of Zamil Limon, saying, “It’s devastating for us,” and it added that the family was anxiously following updates with the brother saying, “We are becoming numb. Anything could be possible. We just want to know the truth or what happened to them. It’s not possible that two students disappear out of nowhere.”

NBC News included a statement from Zahaid Hasan Pranto, Bristy’s older brother, saying the pair had a romantic relationship in the past but weren’t actively dating, and it reported that family members told NBC News it’s out of character for Limon and Bristy to go off the grid and not keep regular contact.

NewsNation also quoted Zubaer Ahmed speaking on “NewsNation Live” on Thursday, saying police had asked the family for DNA samples but have not shared any leads on what may have happened, and it quoted him saying, “It is very suspicious and unusual for us, and as we know, they are very punctual and serious about their study,” and “It is very suspicious and unusual for us, and as we know, they are very punctual and serious about their study,”.

Across these accounts, the investigation remained focused on determining Limon’s cause of death through an autopsy, with ABC7 Chicago saying an autopsy was being done and results expected Saturday morning, and ABC News saying “The cause of Limon's death is being determined.”

As the case moved from missing-person reports to a homicide investigation posture, authorities said they would continue searching for Bristy and would use the autopsy to determine Limon’s manner and cause of death.

ABC7 Chicago said an autopsy was being done on the remains to determine the manner and cause of Limon’s death, and that those results were expected Saturday morning, while ABC News said the cause of Limon’s death is being determined and that the sheriff had no further details about Bristy’s condition.

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NBC News and NewsNation both described ongoing searches, with NBC News saying the investigation into Bristy’s disappearance remains ongoing and that Maurer said the investigation was still active, and NewsNation saying dive teams were searching the waters around Howard Frankland Bridge.

In parallel, law enforcement continued to question Abugharbieh, with ABC7 Chicago saying investigators interviewed Abugharbieh on Thursday and that he ended the interview after a bit, and with CNN saying investigators were able to “link the suspect to this case and to (Limon’s) body.”

CNN also said that before his arrest, Abugharbieh had been interviewed at least twice by law enforcement, and that by Friday investigators had linked him to the case.

The Guardian reported that there were “no other suspects in the investigation at this time,” with Maurer saying investigators interviewed Abugharbieh on Thursday but that Abugharbieh ended the interview.

For the public, ABC News and ABC7 Chicago both included appeals for information, with ABC News urging anyone with information on Bristy’s whereabouts to call the University of South Florida Police Department at 813-974-2628, and ABC7 Chicago quoting Maurer appealing to the public to share any useful information.

The next steps also included legal processing, with ABC7 Chicago saying Abugharbieh was expected to make a first appearance in court Saturday morning, and with NBC 6 South Florida reporting that he was expected to make a first appearance in court Saturday morning as well.