In Tampa, Florida, authorities have discovered the body of one of two absent doctoral candidates from the University of South Florida on a bridge spanning Tampa Bay. A roommate of the deceased has been detained.
According to Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, the remains of Zamil Limon were located on the Howard Frankland Bridge early Friday. The search continues for Nahida Bristy, who remains missing. Hisham Saleh Abugharbeih, Limon’s roommate, faces preliminary charges, including domestic violence, battery, false imprisonment, evidence tampering, failure to report a death, and illegal transportation of a body.
“Our efforts are ongoing to locate Nahida,” Sheriff Chronister stated, urging the public to provide any information that might aid their investigation.
Chronister, alongside University of South Florida Police Chief Chris Daniel, detailed that law enforcement responded to a domestic disturbance report at a residence approximately a mile from the university. The suspect’s family was safely evacuated, but the suspect then barricaded himself inside, refusing to surrender.
A SWAT team was deployed, after which the suspect eventually emerged without incident. Initially communicative, the suspect later ceased interactions with authorities, Chronister noted.
Limon and Bristy, originally from Bangladesh, vanished from the university on April 16. Limon, who pursued studies in geography, environmental science, and policy, was last seen at his student apartment. Bristy, a chemical engineering student, was last spotted an hour later at a campus science facility.
A family friend contacted authorities last Friday after being unable to contact either one, USF police said.
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