Another body part recovered in Florida, tests to determine if it is Bristy’s

A dismembered body part has been recovered about 35 kilometres (22 miles) from the location in Florida, United States, where the body of Bangladeshi PhD student Zamil Ahamed Limon was found.

The development was confirmed in a press release issued by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday afternoon, 26 April, local time.

According to the statement, the body part was recovered in Pinellas County, Florida. In a joint operation, the Hillsborough and Pinellas County sheriff’s offices recovered the remains from a waterbody near Interstate 275 and 4th Street North.

Police said the recovered remains are currently being kept at the Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office. Efforts are under way to identify the remains through forensic examination. It has not yet been confirmed whether the remains are of a male or female.

Police said more details will be shared after the autopsy report and the identity of the remains are confirmed. The Public Affairs Office said the investigation is ongoing. Authorities are carefully checking whether the remains match any individuals listed as missing.

Two Bangladeshi PhD students at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa—Zamil Ahamed Limon and Nahida Sultana Brishty—went missing on 16 April. Both were 27. Limon was pursuing a PhD in geography, environmental science and policy, while Nahida was studying chemical engineering.

After failing to contact them, a family friend informed the authorities on the afternoon of 17 April. On 21 April, the university’s police department formally announced their disappearance to the media.

After more than a week missing, police recovered Limon’s mutilated body last Friday. In connection with the incident, a 26-year-old US citizen, Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh, has been arrested. He was Zamil’s roommate.  

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said Limon’s body was recovered from the Howard Frankland Bridge area in Florida following the suspect’s interrogation.

The following day, Saturday, Brishty’s brother confirmed her death in a Facebook post. He said authorities in the United States had confirmed she had been killed, but her body had not yet been found.

According to CNN report, in a request filed on Sunday to keep Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh in custody ahead of trial, police stated that just as Limon’s body had been disposed of, they believe Brishty’s body was also disposed of in a similar manner.