A Russian singer reportedly arrested as part of Chechnya’s anti-gay crackdown was murdered shortly after being detained, a source tell NewNowNext.

Zelimkhan Bakaev was last seen on August 8 in Grozny, where he had come from Moscow for his sister’s wedding. His family say they haven’t heard from him since and have been unable to get answers about his fate.

At a press conference Monday, where a victim of the anti-gay purge came forward, Russian LGBT Network founder Igor Kochetkov brought up the mystery of Bakayev’s disappearance publicly for the first time.

“We received confirmation of our earlier presumption that Bakayev was detained by Chechen authorities due to suspicion of homosexuality,” he said.

A source close to activists in the region now tells NewNowNext Bakaev, 26, was tortured to death. “He arrived in Grozny and was picked up by police within three hours,” they claimed. “Within ten hours he was murdered.” Read more via NewNowNext