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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — In a concerted effort to resolve the unsettling case of two deceased University of South Florida graduate students, a nonprofit search team has joined the mission to uncover the whereabouts of one student’s remains.
The group, known as ‘We Are the Essentials,’ has stepped up to aid the search for 27-year-old Nahida Bristy, who, along with fellow doctoral candidate Zamil Limon, vanished on April 16. Their disappearance and subsequent deaths have deeply affected the Tampa Bay area.
“We believe our involvement can make a difference by addressing areas that law enforcement might not have had the resources to cover,” explained Billy Lane, the nonprofit’s president.
Lane noted that volunteers are meticulously searching various sites across Hillsborough County, honing in on spots where evidence might have been missed.
“We’re scouring side roads and bridges,” he remarked. “We’re on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary—items, bags, anything that seems out of place.”
Authorities confirmed Friday afternoon that human remains discovered on the Howard Frankland Bridge were positively identified as Limon.
“I am heartbroken to announce the discovery of human remains discovered on the Howard Frankland Bridge earlier this morning. Those remains were positively identified to Zamil,” Hillsborough County Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer said.
Saturday morning, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office reported 26-year-old Hisham Abugharbieh — Limon’s roommate who was arrested Friday in connection with the missing pair — was issued two additional charges in connection with the students’ deaths.
“We realized that this was going to be a recovery operation and not a rescue,” Lane said.
Lane said the bridge will be a key focus in the search for Bristy based on the potential movements of the accused.
“We believe that the suspect was moving from the south to the north, potentially back to the USF area,” Lane said. “There’s a great possibility that she was put in the water at the Howard Frankland Bridge, but law enforcement has not been able to make that recovery yet.”
Abugharbieh faced a judge Saturday morning and was ordered to remain in jail pending his next court date, which is Tuesday.
8 On Your Side asked the sheriff’s office what led to Abugharbieh’s new charges and were told, “To protect the integrity of the investigation, we will not comment further than what has been released. This remains an active criminal investigation.”