ORLANDO, Fla. — Hillsborough County authorities have confirmed that remains discovered in Tampa Bay belong to the second missing University of South Florida doctoral student from Bangladesh, Sheriff Chad Chronister announced Friday.
The body of Nahida Bristy was recovered Sunday inside a garbage bag that snagged a kayaker’s fishing line, according to Chronister. Investigators used DNA analysis and dental records to positively identify the severely decomposed remains.
Bristy’s fellow USF doctoral student and friend, Zamil Limon, was found dead in a similar garbage bag on a bay bridge two days earlier. Authorities arrested Limon’s roommate, 26-year-old Hisham Saleh Abugharbeih, on the same day and charged him with two counts of first-degree murder. He remains in custody without bond.
When confronted with evidence of the crimes, the suspect displayed a disturbing lack of emotion, Chronister reported.
“He was nonreactive,” Chronister said. “He was callous and showed no emotion when we showed him the information we had.”
While investigators believe both students were killed at the same location and timeframe, the sheriff said additional investigation is needed to make that determination official.
Chronister acknowledged that detectives have not yet established what drove the suspect to commit the murders.
“I hope we find that out,” Chronister said.
Although Abugharbieh had deleted information from his mobile device, forensic specialists uncovered troubling internet searches made in the days leading up to April 16, when both victims disappeared. The searches included disturbing queries such as “Can a knife penetrate a skull?” and “Can a neighbor hear a gunshot?”
Evidence shows the suspect also bought cleaning supplies, heavy-duty construction-grade garbage bags, and other materials, according to the sheriff.
“This was calculating. That’s what makes this so premeditated,” Chronister said.
Investigators discovered extensive blood evidence throughout the shared apartment, including the kitchen area, hallway leading to Abugharbieh’s bedroom, and inside his room. The apartment was shared by Abugharbieh, Limon, and a third roommate.
Forensic testing using luminol spray even revealed bloodstains forming the outline of a person in a fetal position beside Abugharbieh’s bed, the sheriff noted.
Surveillance showed Limon was last spotted at their off-campus housing complex, while Bristy was last seen at a university science facility on the same date. Limon was pursuing studies in geography, environmental science and policy, while Bristy focused on chemical engineering. Abugharbieh was no longer enrolled at the university.
Jennifer Spradley, a public defender representing Abugharbieh in Tampa, declined to provide comment on the case when contacted earlier this week.
