Authorities said Friday they identified remains found this week as part of the investigation into the murders of two missing University of South Florida doctoral students as Nahida Bristy.
Forensic investigators took several days to identify the remains of the 27-year-old student because of the advanced stages of decay her body was in, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said at a press conference.
In these photos released by the University of South Florida Police Department, Nahida Bristy is shown.
University of South Florida Police Department
The announcement came a week after investigators found and identified the remains of Zamil Limon, 27, a friend of Bristy who was also reported missing from the campus on April 16.
“We are now actively working to release both bodies for religious reasons back to the families who live in Bangladesh,” Chronister told reporters.
Investigators allege that Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, Limon’s roommate, murdered the pair and dumped their bodies.
Chronister said that Limon was stabbed repeatedly. He did not say how Bristy was killed and noted that the investigation is ongoing.
“At this point we don’t know what the motive is. The why, we don’t know yet,” Chronister said.
In these photos released by the University of South Florida Police Department, Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy are shown.
University of South Florida Police Department
Abugharbieh was arrested on April 24, following a standoff with police. His family called 911 about a domestic dispute involving Abugharbieh.
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He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a weapon and ordered to be held without bond.
The sheriff revealed more details about the investigation, saying Abugharbieh allegedly used a cart that belonged to the apartment building he lived in to move the bodies to his car.
In this booking photo released by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Hisham Abugharbieh is shown.
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
Chronister alleged that Abugharbieh searched for terms related to murdering the victims including “can you bury a body in a trash bag and throw it in a dumpster” and “can a knife penetrate a skull?”
“This is someone very calculated,” the sheriff said.
Prosecutors alleged that the suspect used ChatGPT for those searches and it answered “that it sounds dangerous,” and then Abugharbieh allegedly asked, “How would they find out.”
Chronister added that tech companies have been cooperating with the investigation by providing them with the suspect’s search history.
“This might be able to provide us with the why that we are still searching for,” he said.
-ABC News’ Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.
