The Philippine National Police (PNP) announced Wednesday that investigators are looking into the death of a 19-year-old maritime student who allegedly died following fraternity initiation rites in Dasmariñas, Cavite, on Sunday.

The victim, identified as Mark Kenneth Alcedo, was brought to the General Trias Medical Hospital by three men. Doctors reported that Alcedo sustained severe bruising on his thighs and found traces of chili pepper on his body. The victim’s mother, Gemma Alcedo, said her son suffered broken teeth and injuries to his fingernails, suggesting he may have been tortured.

Cavite provincial director Col. Ariel Red said during a press conference that one of the three men who transported Alcedo to the hospital has surrendered and is in police custody.

Red disclosed that investigators have identified 21 personalities linked to the incident, with nine individuals believed to have had direct participation. All remain the subjects of ongoing pursuit operations.

“We already proceeded to their respective houses and possible hiding places, but they were not at their given addresses,” Red said.

Lt. Col. Bismark Mendoza, chief of the General Trias police station, said authorities are still validating whether the victim died specifically from initiation rites or broader acts of torture. He noted that the incident occurred in an open field surrounded by subdivisions.

The suspect currently in custody is a fourth-year graduating student at the same school Alcedo attended.

On Monday, police recovered an abandoned silver sedan believed to have been used to transport the victim. Forensic investigators found identification cards, a fraternity shirt and various documents inside the vehicle.