Second Florida Doctoral Student’s Remains Identified After Roommate Charged With Murders

Human remains discovered adjacent a span successful nan Tampa Bay area person been identified arsenic Nahida Bristy, nan 2nd University of South Florida doctoral student who went missing past month, authorities announced Friday.

The remains, recovered Sunday, were confirmed to beryllium Bristy done DNA, dental records and clothing, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said astatine a news conference.

“We person located Nahida Bristy,” Chronister said. “We person contacted her family. We are now actively moving to merchandise some bodies for belief reasons backmost to nan families who unrecorded successful Bangladesh.”

Bristy and her friend and chap USF doctoral student Zamil Limon, some 27, vanished wrong hours of each different connected April 16. Limon’s remains were discovered April 24 on nan Howard Frankland Bridge successful Tampa. Bristy’s assemblage was recovered astir a week later successful an precocious shape of decomposition, authorities say.

“We were capable to corroborate DNA, immoderate dental activity that she had done, and nan clothing that she still had connected from nan video that we saw,” Chronister said.

Limon’s roommate, Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, was arrested connected April 24, and charged pinch 2 counts of first-degree premeditated execution pinch a limb successful nan deaths of some Limon and Bristy.

According to investigators, Limon had been stabbed aggregate times, bound, placed successful a trash container and near on nan highway. His assemblage was identified done fingerprints.

Two days aft Limon’s remains were found, a achromatic trash container was spotted on nan shoreline southbound of nan first find site. Inside were further quality remains, besides successful an “advanced shape of decomposition,” according to an apprehension affidavit.

The container was tied successful a akin mode to nan 1 containing Limon’s body, and nan unfortunate was wearing clothing accordant pinch what Bristy had past been seen wearing successful surveillance footage. Like Limon, nan unfortunate had aggregate stab wounds.

According to tribunal filings, Abugharbieh drove Limon and Bristy from Tampa to Clearwater connected April 16, nan time they were past seen alive. He initially denied nan travel but later admitted to dropping them disconnected aft investigators confronted him pinch telephone and location data.

Limon, who was pursuing a Ph.D. successful geography, biology subject and policy, was past seen astir 9 a.m. astatine his flat a fewer blocks from campus. Meanwhile, Bristy, a doctoral student successful chemic engineering who lived connected campus, was past seen astir an hr later astatine nan university’s Natural and Environmental Sciences Building.

Investigators said Abugharbieh, who studied business guidance astatine nan assemblage from 2021 to 2023, was identified arsenic a personification of liking during their investigation.

A roommate of Abugharbieh told investigators that he was seen moving cardboard boxes from his room to a compactor dumpster astatine their flat analyzable connected April 17, a time aft Limon and Bristy went missing, according to a tribunal archive obtained by NBC News. After searching nan dumpster, investigators recovered items belonging to Limon, including a student ID and in installments cards successful his name.

Investigators discovered that nan aforesaid nighttime Abugharbieh gave nan students a ride, he had purchased trash bags, Lysol wipes and Febreze and later disposed of items including Bristy’s pinkish cellphone cover. The pursuing day, location information shows he stopped on nan Howard Frankland Bridge, wherever Limon’s assemblage was yet found.

Detectives later uncovered humor traces successful nan suspect’s room and bedroom. Forensic study of a telephone linked to Abugharbieh revealed net searches related to concealing convulsive crimes. The killings were described by authorities arsenic “calculated,” citing grounds of attempts to destruct aliases swipe telephone and conveyance GPS data.

Abugharbieh is being held without enslaved astatine nan Falkenburg Road Jail. A judge ordered him to stay successful custody pending trial, citing nan “brutal and convulsive nature” of nan alleged crimes.

Additional charges against Abugharbieh see unlawfully moving a dormant body, nonaccomplishment to study a decease pinch intent to conceal, tampering pinch beingness evidence, mendacious imprisonment and battery.

Authorities opportunity a motive remains unclear.