Two doctoral students at the University of South Florida have been missing since Thursday, the school’s police department confirmed in a statement on Tuesday.
Zamil Limon and Nahida S. Bristy, both 27 and from Bangladesh, were last seen on April 16 in the Tampa area, the University of South Florida Police Department said in a Facebook statement Tuesday.
Limon, who is pursuing a degree in geography, environmental science and policy, was last seen at approximately 9 a.m. at his residence. Bristy, a chemical engineering major, was last seen on April 16 at approximately 10 a.m. on the USF Tampa campus.
There has been no further confirmed contact from either since they were last seen, the police statement said.
From left: Missing University of South Florida students Nahida S. Bristy and Zamil Limon. Both are 27 and from Bangladesh.
USFPD/ FacebookOn April 17 at 4:50 p.m., a family friend reported that they had been unable to contact Limon and Bristy, triggering missing persons reports and prompting police to input both into missing persons databases.
According to NBC News, officials said the pair are friends and may be together. Tampa Bay Fox News affiliate Fox 13 reported that police and people close to the pair said it is out of character for them to suddenly go missing or fail to attend school.
There is no immigration issue, and they are not being held by immigration officials, police confirmed.
Limon’s brother told FOX 13 that his family is suffering in the search for answers.
“He is a very responsible and punctual person, and that’s why the situation is so unpredictable and unusual to us… and very suspicious,” Zubaer Ahmed, Limon’s younger brother, told the U.S. outlet, from Bangladesh. “We’re in deep pain.”
He said he had communicated with his brother — who has been in Florida for two years and has a trip home booked in July — on the Monday before he went missing, and that they had discussed his thesis and his potential future with Bristy.
“Another important point that is they talked about having a future together, but they are not that serious about it. Both of them are thinking about, whether we can marry together, and they are discussing that,” Ahmed said.
Meanwhile, USF Public Safety Public Information Officer Larry McKinnon said campus staff were becoming increasingly concerned, but said, “We don’t have information that there is foul play or suspicious nature at this point.”
Police are urging anyone who has seen Limon or Bristy, or has information on their whereabouts, to come forward.
Additional information will be released when it becomes available, police said.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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