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Human remains found in waterways near a Florida interstate have been identified as Nahida Bristy, one of two college students who disappeared in mid-April, officials investigating the case announced May 1.Bristy's body was found April 26 near I-275 and Fourth Street North in St. Petersburg, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office reported. Sheriff Chad Chronister confirmed the identification at a news conference May 1.Chronister said it took the Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office several days to positively identify Bristy, 27, because of the condition of her body.At the time of her death, Bristy was a student at the University of South Florida. Her remains were found by two kayakers who were fishing after one of their lines snagged a bag in mangroves near the interstate. As they got closer to remove the line, they smelled an "indescribable" odor and saw the bag was open and appeared to contain human remains. The kayakers contacted law enforcement."The details of this investigation are gruesome, and the actions of the suspect are nothing short of pure evil," Chronister told reporters. "At this point we don't know the motive yet. ... I hope we find that out."Police have charged 26-year-old Hisham Abugharbieh with two counts of first-degree premeditated murder in the deaths of Bristy and another USF student, 27-year-old Zamil Limon, who was found dead April 24. Both students, officials said, were stabbed.The pair were last seen in the Tampa area April 16, according to the university's police department. They were reported missing by a family friend the next day.Limon's remains were found April 24 in black trash bags on the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa, the sheriff's office reported. The bridge connects Tampa and St. Petersburg.The Pinellas County medical examiner, who conducted Limon's autopsy, ruled he died from “multiple sharp force injuries,” reported the Sarasota Herald Tribune, part of the USA TODAY Network.“They were dedicated students and loyal friends. They were accountable and responsible, which is why when they didn’t show up to meetings, stopped answering calls and missed appointments, their friends immediately new something was very wrong,” Chronister said at the news conference May 1. “What began as a missing persons case ended with the discovery of a monstrous crime. Our community has been left heartbroken, and the victims’ families shattered after this tragic loss.”'Never showed any emotion'At the news conference, Chronsiter said Abugharbieh was first talkative during interviews but later became “elusive and deceptive” when the subject turned to victims.“This is someone very calculated,” Chronister said. “The concerning part is he was not reactive. … Never showed any emotion.”Limon was pursuing a degree in geography, environmental science and policy, the Sarasota Herald Tribune reported. Bristy was studying chemical engineering. Authorities have not said what the relationship was between the two students.Who is Hisham Abugharbieh?Abugharbieh was not enrolled as a student and was not an employee at USF at the time of the killings, but he had been enrolled in classes at the university from 2021 to 2023, the Herald Tribune reported. A spokesman for the university said he had been seeking a bachelor’s degree in management.In the days before the killings, Abugharbieh ordered supplies such as duct tape and lighter fluid from Amazon and searched for ways to dispose of bodies, according to court records obtained by the USA TODAY Network. He asked ChatGPT what happens if a human is “put in a black garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster.” Police arrested Abugharbieh after he reportedly barricaded himself inside his family's home in Lutz, about a mile from the university. Authorities responded to the home after receiving a domestic dispute call and eventually took him into custody without anyone being injured.Anyone with information about the case is asked to call 813-974-2628.Contributing: Michelle Spitzer, USA TODAY NETWORK − FloridaNatalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
