Two Immigrant Students Disappear Within an Hour, Families Call Case ‘Suspicious’

Two University of South Florida students have gone missing within an hour of each other. Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, both 27, disappeared on April 16. The students, both from Bangladesh, are pursuing doctoral degrees at the university.

According to the University of South Florida Police Department (USFPD), Limon was last seen at his residence in Tampa around 9 AM, while Bristy was last seen at the NES Building on the university campus around 10 AM. Their phones have been switched off ever since.

Limon and Bristy are in the same friend group and reportedly had developed feelings for each other. The USFPD has processed two missing person reports and is investigating the cases with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Meanwhile, their families back in Bangladesh are worried about them. Their loved ones say both are dedicated students, and it is unusual for them to miss so many classes. Limon is pursuing a degree in geography, environmental science, and policy, and Bristy is a student of chemical engineering.

Limon’s brother, Zubaer Ahmed, revealed that he was preparing to present his doctoral thesis in the coming days. Shortly before his disappearance, Limon had also reduced contact with his family, saying he was too busy working on his thesis.

“It's extremely suspicious for us. How can two people... disappear out of nowhere? He was extremely busy, and Tuesday [April 14]... he also informed us that, please don't call me unless it is... [an] emergency,” Ahmed said in an interview with CBS News.

In another interview with Fox 13, Ahmed talked about how Limon’s family is shattered with the news. “He is a very responsible and punctual person, and that's why the situation is so unpredictable and unusual to us… like, and very suspicious. We’re in deep pain and [a] devastating situation.”

A mutual friend of Limon and Bristy revealed another detail, saying that Limon had taken ‘work-from-home’ on the day of his disappearance to prepare for his thesis presentation. Meanwhile, Ahmed stated that Limon and Bristy were planning their future together, but wanted to focus on their studies at the moment.

They had also booked tickets to visit their families in Bangladesh during the upcoming summer break. Ahmed stated, “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.”

The victims’ families were initially concerned that the two might have been taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). However, police later confirmed that this was not the case. Detectives have already searched for the pair at various locations, but have not been able to track them.

The USFPD is now seeking the public’s help to locate the two and has asked anyone with information to contact (813) 974-2628. “When we get to this point where we aren’t having success in locating them, then our next best source is the public. That’s where we are at.” USF Public Safety Public Information Officer Larry McKinnon said in a statement.