Bangladeshi-origin Zamil Limon and Nahida S Bristy, two doctoral students at the University of South Florida (USF), were reported missing, according to a statement from the school’s police department on Tuesday (US time). While there’s still no news on Bristy, Limon’s body was subsequently found this week.
In the aftermath of the shocking discovery, his roommate, Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh, was arrested. The 26-year-old man is now facing charges of domestic violence, simple battery, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, failure to report a death and unlawfully holding or moving a dead body, according to Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer’s public announcement.
“Through investigative measures, we are able to link the suspect to this case and to this body,” Maurer said. “Right now, we are pending the autopsy results for manner and cause of death.” At the time of writing, Abugharbieh was still in the Hillsborough County Falkenburg Road Jail on no bond.
Who is Hisham Abugharbieh?
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HSCO) Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer revealed that 26-year-old Hisham, who is a US citizen, lived with Limon in an apartment on Avalon Heights Boulevard.
HSCO disclosed that he was arrested after reports of an unrelated domestic violence call from the Lake Forest Community, a neighbourhood located about a mile away from the University of South Florida campus.
As also seen in photos of the incident circulating online, Abugharbieh, clad in a towel, surrendered to SWAT officers on Friday morning. Authorities have since confirmed that he was already being looked at as a person of interest in the disappearance of both his roommate, 27-year-old Zamil Limon and 27-year-old Nahida Bristy.
Hillsborough County court records, cited by ABC News’ local division WDHN, affirmed that Hisham had also come under law enforcement’s radar previously. Back in 2023, he was arrested on charges of domestic violence and battery, but those charges were later dismissed.
In a statement released by USF, the school noted that Abugharbieh was not currently studying at the university. However, he had been enrolled at the institution from Spring 2021 through Spring 2023, as he was pursuing a bachelor of science in management at the time.
His roommate Limon, on the other hand, was studying for his geography, environmental science and policy degree before he went missing on April 16. The doctoral student was last seen in his Tampa residence that day at 9 am.
Similarly, Bristy, who is a chemical engineering student, was also last seen on April 16 morning in the Natural and Environmental Sciences Building on the USF Tampa campus.
Her brother, Zahaid Hasan Pranto, told NBC News that she and Limon were romantically involved with each other in the past but weren’t actively dating.