Authorities are seeking the public's help in locating two doctoral students from the University of South Florida who were reported missing last week.
Officials initially reported that Limon was last seen around 9 a.m. local time at his residence on the 13000 block of Avalon Heights Boulevard just off campus, while Bristy was last seen around 10 a.m. on university grounds.
University police said a family friend of both Limon and Bristy contacted the department just before 5 p.m. on April 17 after being unable to reach them. Missing persons reports were subsequently filed and both students were entered into databases for the Florida Crime Information Center and the FBI's National Crime Information Center.
A USFPD public information officer told NTD Wednesday that the case has been transferred to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office due to jurisdictional factors, after investigators determined both students' last known locations were within the county.
The circumstances surrounding their disappearance remain unclear. NTD reached out to the sheriff's office for more information, but an update was not received by publication time.
Limon, a geography, environmental science, and policy doctoral student, and Bristy, who was studying chemical engineering, are both international students from Bangladesh.
Limon's younger brother, Zubaer Ahmed, who lives in the South Asian country, told Fox 13 that the students were friends and had previously discussed a future together, including the possibility of getting married.
In a Facebook post, Bristy's brother, Zahid Pranto, said her phone was switched off around 5 p.m. on April 16, and there has been no contact since. He also noted that the Bangladesh Embassy in the U.S. had confirmed the students are not in ICE custody, and that there are currently no confirmed leads as to their whereabouts.
Anyone who has seen Limon or Bristy or has any information about their location is asked to contact USFPD directly at (813) 974-2628.