After their arrest, the kidnappers—who turned out to be members of the Philippine National Police (PNP)—accused Jee of being involved in the illegal drug trade.

The result of the investigation stated that Jee died due to strangulation, on the same day he was kidnapped, within the grounds of Camp Crame of the PNP.

[4] On January 17, 2017, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) went to a funeral parlor in Bagbaguin, Caloocan where the body of Jee Ick-Joo was believed to have been brought.

[5] Jee Ick-Joo's wife said that eight armed men, including SPO3 Ricky Santa Isabel, who is linked to the PNP Anti-Illegal Drugs Group, were involved in the kidnapping.

In a January 29, 2017, late evening press conference, Dumlao was named by Rodrigo Duterte to be the mastermind in the abduction and murder and was given 24 hours to surrender.

Isabel, entered not guilty pleas to the charges filed before Judge Irineo Pangilinan Jr. at the Regional Trial Court Branch 58 here on May 31, 2019.

Isabel and Omlang) and Camp Crame (Dumlao), the suspects requested to be transferred to the facility of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Angeles City on the grounds of threats to their safety.

[10] In May 2019, the Angeles City Regional Trial Court (RTC) amended the hold departure order (HDO) it issued against the alleged mastermind Dumlao to cover all airports and seaports.

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella stated that Duterte did not accept the offer of resignation because he believed that dela Rosa can't be faulted for the killing since the suspected perpetrators are not part of his team, this while acknowledging that there is indeed corruption in the institution.

[17] South Korea, through its ambassador to the Philippines Jae-Shin Kim, accepted an apology by President Duterte on January 26, 2017, but reiterated calls for the quick resolution of the case.