SHE WAS FOUND… AND THE EVIDENCE CHANGED EVERYTHING

SHE WAS FOUND… AND THE EVIDENCE CHANGED EVERYTHING
Authorities have confirmed that Nahida Bristy has been identified — and new forensic findings are now shaping the direction of the case.
Investigators say DNA linked to a prime suspect was recovered, providing a critical piece of the puzzle.
But officials hint there may be more to uncover as they continue to examine the evidence and timeline.

The remains of Zamil Limon, who was also a doctoral student at the school and previously dated Bristy, were found last week alongside Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa.

“We have located Nahida Bristy. We have contacted her family. We are now actively working to release both bodies for religious reasons back to the families who live in Bangladesh,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said at a news conference. Limon and Bristy were Muslim, according to the university’s Muslim Student Association.

The remains were identified through DNA.

“No words can fully capture the heartbreak surrounding this loss, which is felt deeply across our university. Nahida and Zamil Limon were exemplary students, building lives, creating community and contributing to our university in meaningful ways,” USF President Moez Limayem said in a statement.

A vigil will be held on campus Friday evening to commemorate Bristy and Limon, according to the university’s Student Government. A GoFundMe was created to help support both of their families with expenses related to their deaths, according to the university’s Bangladesh Student Association.

Hisham Abugharbieh, Limon’s roommate and a former USF student, has been charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of the pair.

Bristy and Limon were both 27 and natives of Bangladesh.