1 missing USF doctoral student found dead, roommate in custody: Sheriff

The remains of one of the two missing University of South Florida doctoral students were discovered by investigators Friday and his roommate was taken into custody, authorities said.

Joseph Maurer, of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, told reporters that investigators found the remains of Zamil Limon on the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa Friday morning.

Investigators have been searching for Limon and fellow USF doctoral student Nahida Bristy since they went missing on April 16.

“We are still actively searching for Nahida,” he told reporters during a news conference Friday.

Maurer said 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.

Abugharbieh, 26, was previously interviewed by police during their investigation into the disappearances, Mauer said.

Following a brief standoff, the suspect surrendered, Maurer said. He was seen exiting the home with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.

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, the sheriff’s office said.

The suspect is not a current USF student or employee, school officials said.

USF President Moez Limayem said in a statement Friday that there is “no ongoing threat to the safety of the university community.” He expressed “deep sadness” over Limon’s death and prayed for Bristy’s “safe return.”

The cause of Limon’s death is being determined, Maurer said. He had no further details about Bristy’s condition.

Marine and dive teams were searching near the Howard Frankland Bridge for Bristy, the sheriff’s office said.

Limon and Bristy, both 27, were last seen at separate locations in the Tampa area on April 16, according to the USF Police Department.

On Thursday, officials received new information to warrant upgrading their status from missing to endangered, which indicates they are at risk of physical injury or death, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said.

The sheriff did not provide any more details about the investigation or search efforts.

Limon and Bristy are friends, and a mutual acquaintance reported them missing, campus police said.

Limon was last seen at his Tampa residence at approximately 9 a.m. on April 16, according to police.

He had attended the university since fall 2024 to study geography and environmental science and policy, school officials said.

Bristy was last seen at the USF Tampa campus at the Natural & Environmental Sciences Building at approximately 10 a.m. on April 16, police said.

She has attended the university since fall 2025 to study chemical engineering, school officials said.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is urged to call the University of South Florida Police Department at 813-974-2628.

-ABC News’ Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.