Police make heartbreaking discovery in search for missing doctoral student days after arresting her boyfriend’s roommate for murder
A gut-wrenching discovery was made in the waters of Florida during the search for a missing doctoral student, as her murdered boyfriend’s roommate stands accused of killing them both.
Human remains were found in the waterways near Tampa during the city-wide search for 27-year-old University of South Florida doctoral student Nahida Bristy, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said on Sunday.
The body of Bristy’s boyfriend, Zamil Limon, also 27, was discovered near the Howard Frankland Bridge on Friday, the same day his roommate, Hisham Abugharbieh, was arrested in connection with the couple’s disappearance on April 16 after a dramatic standoff with police.
Abugharbieh, 26, was hit with a slew of charges including two counts of premeditated murder in the first degree using a deadly weapon, unlawfully holding or moving a dead body, and failure to report a death to authorities as well as several other offenses.
The suspect, who was enrolled at USF from spring 2021 through spring 2023, allegedly asked ChatGPT questions on how to get rid of a corpse properly.
Abugharbieh allegedly asked the bot on April 13: ‘What happens if a human is put in a black garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster?’
ChatGPT responded, ‘It sounds dangerous,’ before he said, ‘How would they find out?’ according to the court docs seen by the Tampa Bay Times.
Abugharbieh allegedly questioned the AI’s answer with ‘How would they find out?’
Nahida Bristy, 27, pictured above, vanished along with Zamil Limon, also 27, and authorities believe she has died. Officials have discovered human remains in the water ways near Tampa, but did not confirm if it was Bristy
Abugharbieh, pictured above in a booking photo, has been charged two counts of premeditated murder in the first degree using a deadly weapon, unlawfully holding or moving a dead body, failure to report a death to authorities, evidence tampering, false imprisonment and battery
According to the court document prosecutors filed on Saturday, investigators discovered traces of blood as well as blood-stained clothing at the apartment Abugharbieh shared with Limon.
Limon’s wallet, glasses and a pink iPhone case that belonged to Bristy were found in a trash compactor at the complex.
A day before the couple’s disappearance, Abugharbieh allegedly asked the chatbot questions regarding changing the VIN number on a car and if a gun could be kept in a home with a license, according to the filing.
On April 19, three days after the couple went missing, the report noted that the suspect asked ChatGPT: ‘Has there been someone who survived a sniper bullet to the head?’ and ‘Will my neighbors hear my gun?’
The suspect took a drive on the night the couple went missing, which allegedly matched the location of Limon’s cell phone before the signal was dropped, according to additional documents seen by the Tampa Bay Times.
Limon’s body was discovered nude, covered with stab wounds.
Zamil Limon, 27, pictured above, was found dead on Friday after he vanished on April 16, just a day after he was scheduled to present his thesis statement
Authorities found Limon’s body on Friday near the Howard Frankland Bridge. Deputies are pictured above in Tampa during the investigation
‘This is a deeply disturbing case that has shaken our community and impacted many who were hoping for a safe resolution,’ Sheriff Chad Chronister said.
‘While the discovery of Zamil Limon’s remains is heartbreaking, I want the public to know that our detectives worked and are working tirelessly and relentlessly to uncover the truth.’
Limon and Bristy both have family in Bangladesh. Their family members had previously told the media that it was unlike them to go off the grid and not respond to their messages.
Bristy’s older brother, Zahaid Hasan Pranto, told NBC News that the pair had been in a romantic relationship but were not currently together when they disappeared.
Limon was studying geography, environmental science, and policy.
Bristy was a chemical engineering student and lived on campus. She was last seen in a USF science building. Her brother confirmed in a Facebook post on Friday that she was ‘no longer with us.’
Nahida Bristy, pictured above in a social media photo, was described by her brother as a ‘jolly person’
Abugharbieh, pictured above, was arrested on Friday morning in a residential Tampa neighborhood outside of the University of South Florida
Both students had earned their bachelor’s degrees in Bangladesh before moving to the US to pursue their postgraduate studies and were on student visas.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office did not confirm the identity of the body, as Bristy, but noted that it is in possession of the Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office.
