What happened to Nahida S. Bristy? Missing Florida student's brother says ‘my sister is no longer with us’
The brother of Nahida S. Bristy, a doctoral student who was reported missing in the United States, has shared a statement saying his sister is “no longer with us.” A man named Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh is facing charges after his roommate, Zamil Limon, a University of South Florida doctoral student, was found dead after being reported missing along with Bristy. Abugharbieh was arrested on Friday, April 24, after a domestic violence incident at the residence, law enforcement said, according to NBC News.
Limon and Bristy, two doctoral students at the school, were both reported missing, the school’s police department said in a statement. The 27-year-olds from Bangladesh were last seen about a week ago.
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Limon’s body was found Friday morning on the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa, Florida, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said at a news conference. An autopsy is being performed to determine the cause of death.
What happened to Nahida S. Bristy?
While recent reports said that Bristy is still missing and an investigation is underway, her brother, Zahid Hasan Pranto, said in a Facebook post, “My sister is no longer with us”.
In a post three days ago, Pranto had urged people online not to spread “misleading information” about his sister.
“My sister, a graduate student at the University of South Florida (Fall 2025), has been missing since Thursday at approximately 12:30 PM (Tampa local time). Since then, there has been no confirmed or reliable information about her location. Her phone was switched off around 5:00 PM, and there have been no further traces,” Pranto wrote. “The USF Police Department is actively investigating, but at this time, there are no confirmed leads. We have also confirmed that another individual from her circle is missing, though there is no verified information about their whereabouts.”
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“To date, the BD Embassy, USA, has confirmed that they are not in ICE custody.” he added. “Our family is going through an extremely distressing and painful time. We urgently request everyone to stop spreading unverified information, rumors, or speculation. False narratives are not only harmful but are also making this situation even more difficult for us. Please do not share guesses, theories, or unverified tips publicly. We are deeply grateful to those who have shown genuine concern and support. We will provide updates only when there is confirmed information. We ask for your empathy, respect, and privacy as we focus entirely on finding her.”
Abugharbieh is facing charges of domestic violence, simple battery, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, failure to report a death and unlawfully holding or moving a dead body, Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer said.
Bristy, a chemical engineering student, was last seen on April 16 at 10 am in the Natural and Environmental Sciences Building on the USF Tampa campus, police said. The USFPD processed her missing person report.
Pranto, 29, told NBC News that the two students had a romantic relationship in the past. However, they were not actively dating.
A family friend reported last Friday, just before 5 pm, that they were unable to contact both Limon and Bristy. This triggered missing person reports, and police subsequently entered both Limon and Bristy into missing person databases.