Credit: USFPD
Hillsborough authorities want the public’s help in the search for two missing graduate students from the University of South Florida, who were last seen on Thursday, April 16.
A family friend was unable to reach Nahida Bristy and Zamil Limon and reported them missing before 5 p.m. the next day.
Bristy, a 27-year-old doctoral student in chemical engineering, went missing at approximately 12:30 p.m., according to a Facebook post on April 21 from her brother, Zahid Hasan Pranto.
Bristy was last seen at the Natural and Environmental Sciences building on the USF Tampa campus. Pranto said in his post that authorities have surfaced “no confirmed or reliable information about her location,” and Bristy’s phone was switched off at around 5 p.m. the day she vanished.
Limon, 27, is a doctoral student in geography, environmental science and policy and was last seen earlier at his residence at 13612 Avalon Heights Boulevard around 9 a.m.
Pranto shared that the Embassy of Bangladesh, USA, said Bristy and Limon—both international students from Bangladesh—are not in ICE custody.
Additionally, police said the students know each other and are friends, and could be together. Limon’s phone is also off.
“Our family is going through an extremely distressing and painful time,” Pranto wrote. “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.”
Zubaer Ahmed, Limon’s younger brother, told FOX 13 that the two have discussed their futures and contemplated marriage, but they’ve prioritized finishing their studies first and “aren’t serious about it.”
Ahmed also said that Limon was occupied with his thesis centered around generative AI in environmental research.
USF officials and students, alongside the students’ families, have found their disappearances highly suspicious, as they believe it would be unusual for Limon or Bristy to disappear by choice, as they were known to be responsible students.
If you have information on the whereabouts of Bristy or Limon, contact USFPD at 813-974-2628.
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This article appears in Apr. 23 – 29, 2026.