A missing persons flyer for two University of South Florida students released by the Hillsborough Co. Sheriff Office
Hillsborough Co. Sheriff Office

A ChatGPT search on Abugharbieh’s phone asked “are cars checked at the Hillsborough River state park,” the affidavit says.

The suspect goes to the Howard Frankland Bridge – a strip of I-275 spanning Tampa Bay – twice between 1 a.m. and 4:30 a.m., according to the affidavit, citing phone and traffic data.

Meanwhile, Limon and Bristy are officially reported missing.

The next day, police search Bristy’s campus workplace and find she left personal items including her lunchbox, a MacBook and her iPad.

April 22: Investigators question suspect’s mother

Authorities speak with Abugharbieh’s mother, who says she last saw her son Saturday, April 18, the motion reads. She mentions Abugharbieh struggles with anger management and was violent with his family in the past, according to the document.

The suspect was arrested twice in 2023 on charges of battery, which were later dropped, according to court records. But after one of those incidents, his brother filed for an injunction that prohibited Abugharbieh from coming near him or his home. When the injunction expired last May, a request for extension was denied.

April 23: Searches underway

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Marine and Dive teams searching for missing University of South Florida doctoral student Nahida Bristy near the Howard Frankland Bridge in Florida.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Marine and Dive teams searching for missing University of South Florida doctoral student Nahida Bristy near the Howard Frankland Bridge in Florida.
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office

The Hillsborough County’s Sheriff’s Office elevates the status of the two missing students to “endangered.”

Authorities search a dumpster, in which they find a black cushion floor mat with blood, Limon’s wallet, Bristy’s phone case, Limon’s glasses and clothing all stained with blood. Around this time, Abugharbieh gives authorities permission to search his car, which prosecutors say appeared to have “recently been cleaned.”

Abugharbieh also lets investigators access the vehicle’s data, but there didn’t appear to be any, the affidavit said.

Abugharbieh gives inconsistent accounts of when he last saw Limon and Bristy, according to the affidavit. He first tells detectives the pair had “never been in his vehicle nor did he go to Clearwater.” When confronted about his vehicle being in Clearwater, he says he went there to look for fishing spots and later changed his story again, telling detectives Limon had asked to be driven with his girlfriend to Clearwater, the document says.

During these interviews, Abugharbieh’s left pinky finger is wrapped in a bandage, a wound he later says he got while cutting onions, the motion says. Detectives also observe a fresh laceration on his left upper tricep and additional cuts on both legs, according to the filing.

Prosecutors say Abugharbieh asked ChatGPT on April 23, “What does missing endangered adult mean.”