- By Ajeet Kumar
- Wed, 29 Apr 2026 03:48 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
- Suspect asked ChatGPT about body disposal, gun queries.
- University of South Florida students found dead, roommate charged.
- AI chatbot history crucial evidence in murder investigation.
The investigation into the deaths of two University of South Florida doctoral students took a twist this weekend when prosecutors said that the suspect asked ChatGPT about body disposal in the lead-up to the students’ disappearance, raising questions about the role tech companies have in preventing the misuse of the powerful chatbots.
It wasn’t long after University of South Florida students Zamil Limon and his girlfriend Nahida Bristy went missing on April 16 that law enforcement began to suspect Limon’s roommate Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, of killing both Bangladeshi students. Limon’s body was found Friday under a bridge and a second body, found in a waterway near Limon’s body, was recovered but has not been identified.
Search history is now a prominet piece of evidence
Now, court records filed by prosecutors on Saturday suggest that Abugharbieh’s OpenAI search history has emerged as a prominent piece of evidence. Specifically, in the days before Limon and Bristy went missing, Abugharbieh asked the artificial intelligence chatbot a slew of questions about guns and the disposal of bodies.
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Abugharbieh was charged with two counts of premeditated murder in the first degree with a weapon in the deaths of Limon and Bristy, and he was ordered held without bond at a hearing on Tuesday.
Ahead of the hearing, court records painted a clearer picture both about how people planning crimes may be using chatbots and how law enforcement is able to leverage the artificial intelligence data that usage creates. The case also raises questions about what obligation tech companies have to prevent criminal misconduct, as well as to cooperate with and aid investigations.
Chatbot history revealed crime
Prosecutors filed a pretrial detention report on Saturday that detailed Abugharbieh’s ChatGPT history both before and after Limon and Bristy went missing.
Days before the two students were last seen, Abugharbieh asked the artificial intelligence chatbot what would happen if a human body was put in a garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster.
How did ChatGPT respond to crime queries?
Abugharbieh also asked the artificial intelligence chatbot whether the vehicle identification number on his car could be changed and whether he could keep a gun at home without a license, according to the report. ChatGPT responded that Abugharbieh’s question sounded dangerous.
Three days after Limon and Bristy’s April 16 disappearance, Abugharbieh asked Chat GPT, “Has there been someone who survived a sniper bullet to the head” and “will my neighbors hear my gun,” according to the report. He also asked the chatbot four days after that, on April 23, “What does missing endangered adult mean.”
OpenAI’s growing role in investigations
Like texts, emails and regular search histories, artificial intelligence chatbot records can be obtained by law enforcement throughout the course of an investigation. OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri said Tuesday that the company was looking into the reports on Abugharbieh and would support law enforcement in any way with their investigation.
(Note: Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by The Daily Jagran and has been published through a syndicated feed. Source - PTI)