Hillsborough Sheriff Finds USF Doctoral Student Zamil Limon Dead; Hisham Abugharbieh Taken Into Custody

Authorities in Tampa, Florida found the body of missing University of South Florida doctoral student Zamil Limon on the Howard Frankland Bridge on Friday morning, while his roommate Hisham Abugharbieh was taken into custody and 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 Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer said investigators found Limon’s remains on the bridge Friday morning and that “We are still actively searching for Nahida,” during a news conference Friday.

ABC News

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

CNN said Limon’s body was found Friday on the Howard Frankland Bridge and that Bristy “has still yet to be found,” with the sheriff’s office describing the case as deeply disturbing.

NBC News added that Limon’s body was found Friday morning on the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa, Florida, and that an autopsy was being performed to determine the cause of death.

Multiple outlets tied the search to the same timeline: Limon and Bristy were reported missing after they went missing on April 16, and officials later upgraded their status to “endangered” on Thursday.

The sheriff’s office also said Marine and dive teams were searching near the Howard Frankland Bridge for Bristy, as investigators continued to question the suspect in custody.

The case escalated from a domestic violence disturbance call into a custody situation involving Limon’s roommate, Hisham Abugharbieh, after investigators said he barricaded himself inside a home.

ABC News reported that Joseph Maurer said investigators received a 911 call for a domestic violence disturbance around 9 a.m. at a residence where Abugharbieh had barricaded himself, and that following a brief standoff the suspect surrendered.

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NBC News described deputies commanding the suspect to come out after family members were able to leave and get to safety, and said that after about 20 minutes a SWAT team was called to the scene.

CNN said Abugharbieh was arrested Friday morning after law enforcement was called to his home for a reported domestic violence incident, and it described a barricade that required a SWAT team and crisis negotiators to respond.

WFLA reported that Abugharbieh refused for about 20 minutes, then came out of hiding after SWAT officers arrived at the scene at 10:36 a.m., and that he surrendered to SWAT officers while still in a towel.

The Tampa Bay Times described the standoff in the Lake Forest neighborhood, saying deputies arrested Abugharbieh after a brief standoff and that investigators had questioned him Thursday about the disappearances.

Across outlets, the same core detail appeared: detectives had previously talked to Abugharbieh and reinterviewed him Thursday, and by Friday investigators said they could link the suspect to the case and to Limon’s body.

Fox 13 Tampa Bay added that Maurer said detectives believe Abugharbieh “acted alone,” while the motive remained unknown and Bristy’s location remained unknown.

Once Abugharbieh was taken into custody, authorities laid out a set of charges tied to Limon’s death and the circumstances around the domestic violence call.

ABC News said Abugharbieh, 26, 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.

CNN similarly said Abugharbieh faces charges of battery, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, failure to report a death, and unlawfully moving a dead body, and it quoted Sheriff Chad Chronister describing the case as deeply disturbing.

NBC News listed charges including domestic violence, simple battery, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, failure to report a death and unlawfully holding or moving a dead body, and it said the sheriff’s office received the domestic violence call around 9 a.m. local time.

WWSB reported that Abugharbieh was arrested after a 20-minute standoff and that detectives were waiting for results on an autopsy while the investigation remained ongoing.

Fox 13 Tampa Bay said an autopsy would be conducted to determine Limon’s manner and cause of death and that the search for Bristy was still active, with the motive unknown.

NewsNation reported that Limon’s autopsy was pending and that dive teams were searching the waters around Howard Frankland Bridge where Limon’s remains were found.

The Tampa Bay Times added additional context about Abugharbieh’s past, saying Hillsborough court records show he was twice arrested in 2023 on domestic violence charges, but both cases were later dropped, and it described a petition for an injunction prohibiting him from coming near his brother or his home.

While law enforcement pursued the suspect and searched for Nahida Bristy, the case drew statements from officials and support from the University of South Florida community.

CNN quoted Sheriff Chad Chronister saying, “This is a deeply disturbing case that has shaken our community and impacted many who were hoping for a safe resolution,” and it also quoted University President Moez Limayem telling faculty and students, “Please join me in praying for the families and friends of Zamil, and for the safe return of Nahida.”

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In ABC News, Joseph Maurer said investigators were still actively searching for Bristy, and the sheriff’s office said officials upgraded the pair’s status from missing to endangered on Thursday after “new information.”

NBC News reported that the investigation into Bristy’s disappearance remained ongoing and that Maurer said the investigation was ongoing, while it described the domestic violence call that led to the SWAT response.

CNN included a family voice through Zubaer Ahmed, who told the network, “It’s devastating for us,” and said, “We are becoming numb. Anything could be possible.”

Ahmed also said it was “not possible that two students disappear out of nowhere,” and he described Limon as “very decent and very simple person,” who “always put a smile on his face.”

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

Across outlets, the same missing-person facts were repeated: Limon was last seen around 9 a.m. April 16 at his Tampa residence, and Bristy was last seen around 10 a.m. April 16 at the Natural and Environmental Sciences Building on the USF Tampa campus.

Different outlets emphasized different aspects of the same investigation, from the domestic violence call to the suspect’s background and the timeline of missing-person reporting.

ABC News focused on the sheriff’s office account of the domestic violence disturbance around 9 a.m., the barricade, and the charges, while it also stressed that the cause of Limon’s death was being determined and that Marine and dive teams were searching near the Howard Frankland Bridge for Bristy.

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CNN foregrounded the arrest narrative and the community impact, quoting Sheriff Chad Chronister and describing the suspect as a former USF student who had attended USF between 2021 and 2023, while it also included a detailed account of how investigators said they could “link the suspect to this case and to (Limon’s) body.”

NBC News framed the case around the missing-person reports and the domestic violence call, saying the students were reported missing by the school’s police department and that a family friend reported they were unable to contact both Limon and Bristy just before 5 p.m. on April 17.

The Tampa Bay Times added local detail about the Lake Forest neighborhood and described a prior domestic violence history, stating that court records show Abugharbieh was twice arrested in 2023 on domestic violence charges but both cases were later dropped, and it described a petition for an injunction filed by his brother.

WFLA emphasized the video and the standoff logistics, including that Abugharbieh was taken into custody after an unrelated domestic violence call from the Lake Forest Community and that he surrendered to SWAT officers after SWAT arrived at 10:36 a.m.

NewsNation highlighted the legal and investigative framing, saying Limon and Bristy were in the U.S. legally on student visas while Abugharbieh is a U.S.-born citizen, and it reported that investigators said the motive remains under investigation.

Even where outlets agreed on core facts like the Howard Frankland Bridge discovery and the ongoing search for Bristy, they differed in what they chose to foreground: ABC News and NBC News leaned toward official process and charges, CNN leaned toward community reaction and investigative linkage, and local outlets leaned toward the standoff setting and prior records.

Across all coverage, the investigation remained active, with officials repeatedly pointing to autopsy results and the continued search for Nahida Bristy.

With Limon’s remains identified and Abugharbieh in custody, the next steps described by authorities centered on forensic results and continued efforts to locate Nahida Bristy.

ABC News said the cause of Limon’s death is being determined and that investigators did not provide further details about Bristy’s condition, while it reported that Marine and dive teams were searching near the Howard Frankland Bridge for Bristy.

WWSB said detectives were waiting for results on an autopsy and that the investigation was ongoing, while also repeating that the search for Bristy was still active and urging the public to contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

Fox 13 Tampa Bay said “An autopsy will be conducted to determine Limon's manner and cause of death” and that the motive for the killing is unknown, with Bristy’s location also unknown.

NBC News said an autopsy was being performed to determine the cause of death and that the investigation into Bristy’s disappearance remained ongoing, with Maurer saying the investigation was ongoing.

CNN said a medical examiner was still determining Limon’s cause of death and that the examiner “may share autopsy results over the weekend,” while it also reported that the sheriff’s office elevated the pair’s status to “endangered” on Thursday.

NewsNation similarly said Limon’s autopsy is pending and that investigators were continuing to search for the other student while questioning the roommate now in custody.

Even as the suspect faced multiple charges, local reporting emphasized that investigators were still working to uncover the truth, with Sheriff Chad Chronister saying, “We will continue to follow every fact, pursue every lead, and use every tool available to hold those responsible fully accountable.”

In the meantime, officials continued to ask for public help, with outlets repeating the call to contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office for information about Bristy’s whereabouts.