About a week after two Bangladeshi-origin students enrolled at the University of South Florida (USF) went missing, one of them, Nahida Bristy, is believed to be dead, according to Bangladeshi and US news reports. Although the search efforts to find the PhD student are still ongoing, her family recently told The Daily Star and CBS News that Florida police had contacted them about the likelihood of the tragedy after fellow 27-year-old Zamil Limon also went missing in the US last week.
Originally from Bangladesh, both 27-year-olds, Bristy and Limon, were in the United States on student visas. Nahida’s brother, Zahaid Hassan Pranto, even took to Facebook this week to share the heartbreaking news, “My sister is no longer with us.” His post surfaced on social media a day after Zamil Limon’s body was recovered from the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa, Florida.
Hisham Abugharbieh, who was Limon’s roommate and a fellow USF student at one point, is facing two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of the two aforementioned University of South Florida doctoral students. Although officials were initially only linking Hisham, who is a US citizen, to Limon’s disappearance, they have now upgraded charges against him, treating the case as a double murder investigation.
Who was Nahida Bristy?
27-year-old Nahida S Bristy’s family told CBS News that police believe she is likely dead, based on the volume of blood discovered at Abugharbieh’s residence, which he shared with Limon. Both she and Zamil went missing on the same day, April 16, within hours of each other.
Bristy was studying chemical engineering at the Univeristy of South Florida. In the wake of the shocking student tragedy, one of Nahida’s old Facebook post recently gained attention online. Therein, she celebrated her acceptance into a fully-funded PhD program in the US.
Expressing her joy, she wrote in August 2025, “The laziest & not so bright girl made her way up to University of South Florida & started her PhD journey with a full funding!!!” Reflecting on her long journey, she also thanked her friends and family for believing in her on days when she doubted herself.
According to The Daily Sun, Nahida was also a former student of the 13th batch of the Department of Applied Chemistry and Chemist Engineering at Noakhali Science and Technology University.
US reports have so far suggested that Bristy was last spotted at 10 am in USF’s Natural and Environmental Sciences building, near the centre of campus.
Both Bangladeshi USF students were once in a relationship
Her older brother previously told NBC News that she and Limon were in a romantic relationship in the past but weren’t actively dating recently. On the contrary, Limon’s younger brother told the US outlet that the pair was “thinking about having [a] future together, but were committed to their studies.”
He described both doctoral students as “very serious” people, who would never “disappear without telling anyone.”
An official statement confirming Bristy’s death has yet to be issued.
“They have only informed family members. They also said they are trying to obtain the forensic report,” her brother told the Bangladeshi news outlet The Daily Star, adding that an official announcement was imminent.
Charges against USF students murders’ suspect
In addition to facing two counts of murder in the first degree with a weapon (premeditated) in the deaths of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, suspect Hisham Abugharbieh was subjected to further charges in light of evidence presented to the State Attorney’s Office, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on social media.
Other charges against the 26-year-old Florida man are:
- Unlawfully Hold or Move a Dead Human Body in Unapproved Conditions
- Failure to Report Death to Medical Examiner or Law Enforcement (Intent to Conceal)
- Tampering with Physical Evidence
- False Imprisonment
- Battery