A missing Bangladeshi doctoral student at the University of South Florida (USF) was found dead yesterday, while his roommate has been taken into custody, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Two Bangladeshi PhD students, Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, had been reported missing since last week. Limon’s remains were recovered yesterday from the Howard Frankland Bridge, while Bristy remains unaccounted for, the sheriff’s office said.
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According to a report by WFLA News Channel 8 , Limon was pursuing a PhD in geography, environmental science and policy, while Bristy is a doctoral student in chemical engineering at the same university. Both are aged 27 and were last seen on April 16, university authorities said.
In connection with the case, Limon’s roommate, Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh, 26, has been arrested by the sheriff’s office.
The information was confirmed by the press wing of the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington, DC.
In a Facebook post, Press Minister Golam Mortoza described the development as “extremely heartbreaking”, saying that police recovered Limon’s body after questioning the suspect, who is a US citizen and Limon’s roommate.
No information on Bristy’s whereabouts has yet been confirmed, and the investigation is ongoing.
Earlier in the day, deputies cordoned off a residential area in Lake Forest, less than a mile from the university campus, as part of an investigation. The sheriff’s office said entry and exit points to the Lake Forest community near Bruce B Downs Boulevard were closed.
A SWAT team arrived at the scene at 10:36am (US time). After SWAT got to the s