Missing Doctoral Students’ Roommate Arrested While in a Towel After One of Them Was Found Dead

Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, was arrested on several charges, including tampering with evidence, failure to report a death to officials and unlawfully holding or moving a dead body in unapproved conditions

NEED TO KNOW

University of South Florida graduate student Zamil Limon’s remains were found on the Howard Frankland Bridge on Friday, April 24, after he was reported missing on April 17
Hisham Abugharbieh, Limon’s former roommate, was later arrested on multiple charges, including tampering with evidence and false imprisonment
The other University of South Florida graduate student, Nahida Bristy, 27, is still missing as of Friday afternoon

One of the missing University of South Florida graduate students’ remains was found on Friday, April 24.

The remains of Zamil Limon, 27, were discovered on the Howard Frankland Bridge, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said at a news conference on April 24. Nahida Bristy, 27, was still missing as of Friday afternoon.

Hours later, Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, was arrested in a North Tampa, Fla., home. Abugharbieh was at one point Limon’s roommate. He was taken into custody after deputies responded to a domestic violence call at Abugharbieh’s family’s home at 9 a.m., according to NBC News.

Hisham Abugharbieh.Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office

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Initially, Abugharbieh refused to leave the home, and around 20 minutes later, a SWAT team arrived at the scene and commanded him to exit the home. Abugharbieh then walked out of the home with his arms up in the air, while wearing a towel, as seen in police footage.

Hisham Abugharbieh.Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office

He was then arrested on charges of simple battery, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, failure to report a death to officials and unlawfully holding or moving a dead body in unapproved conditions, according to The Tampa Bay Times.

An investigation into Limon’s death is underway, and an autopsy is being performed to determine the cause of death.

The arrest of Abugharbieh follows the reports that a barricaded person was taken into custody on Friday, April 24, in connection with Limon and Bristy’s missing persons cases, per the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. On Thursday, April 23, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office referred to the pair in a statement as being considered “endangered.”

Limon and Bristy were last seen separately on Thursday, April 16, in Tampa and reported missing by a mutual acquaintance the next day, according to the University of South Florida Police Department. Bristy, who was studying chemical engineering, was last seen at the NES Building on the university’s Tampa campus at about 10 a.m. local time on April 16.

Bristy’s older brother, Zahaid Hasan Pranto, told NBC News that she last spoke to her family on April 16. He also said that Limon and Bristy were romantically involved in the past but aren’t currently dating.

Limon’s younger brother, Zubaer Ahmed, claimed the pair was “thinking about having [a] future together” but were dedicated to their studies. He also said the two were “very serious” people who would not “disappear without telling anyone.”

Limon’s family said he was studying the use of AI in environmental science, according to CBS News. He was expected to present his thesis this week, and asked his family not to contact him unless it was an emergency. His family last spoke to him on April 13.