BREESE, Ill. (AP) – A southern Illinois sheriff says a suspect is in custody in the beating death of a high school senior at a party.

Clinton County Coroner Phillip Moss says 18-year-old Jacob J. Arter died early Sunday at a hospital in Breese. The Belleville News Democrat reports Arter was a football player at Central Community High School in the city located about 50 miles east of St. Louis.

Clinton County Sheriff Doug Maue says a juvenile male is in custody. The sheriff’s department is investigating with the coroner and Clinton County prosecutors. The sheriff says Arter was at a party at a private clubhouse in a rural area when he was battered.

School superintendent Kevin Meyer remembered Arter as a “bright student” and “good teammate.”