The mystery surrounding the disappearance of two University of South Florida doctoral students has taken a serious turn. body Nahida S. BristiThe 27-year-old Bangladeshi chemical engineering student was found in a Tampa waterway days after the body of her friend Zamir Limon was found nearby. A suspect is in custody and here’s what we know:
How and where were her remains found?
Bristi’s body was discovered Sunday by a kayaker while fishing with friends near Tampa’s Howard Frankland Bridge. According to Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, when the fisherman noticed something fishy, he had to go deep into the mangroves to free the stuck fishing line.
“He had to go deep into the mangroves. He smelled something that he described as indescribable,” Chronister told a news conference. “As he approached to remove the fishing line he saw a plastic bag opened and there was salt water inside, he had no idea what it was but it looked like a human body. He did the right thing and contacted law enforcement,” New York Post.
Also read: Who is Nahida S. Bristi? Mystery deepens as USF student remains missing after friend found dead
She was identified through DNA, dental records and the clothing she was last seen wearing on surveillance footage. “We were able to confirm DNA, some dental procedures she had had, and the clothing she was still wearing in the video we saw,” Chronister said.
Those who knew her said her disappearance was completely out of character. Her family in Bangladesh told NBC News: “The students’ families said they would never go offline or disappear voluntarily.”
What happened to the students?
Days after Bristi’s body was discovered, on April 22, the body of her boyfriend, Zamil Limon, 27, was found in a black garbage bag in the same area. Limon appeared to have been stabbed multiple times and was found with his hands and ankles bound, according to the sheriff.
The students, both from Bangladesh, were last seen alive on April 16 at an apartment near the USF campus around 9 a.m. Limon, and Bristi on campus about an hour later. Unable to contact them, a family friend reported them missing the next day.
Hisham Saleh Abu HabiLimon’s roommate, a former University of South Florida student, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with both deaths. He was arrested earlier on charges including tampering with evidence, failing to report a death and illegally moving a body.
