armed men then allegedly rode back to Allaipiddy village, taking a different route than they had before. Inquiries about the whereabouts of Brown and Vimalathas were made at a number of churches across the Jaffna peninsula and in surrounding areas. Rear Admiral Upali Ranaweera, Commander of the SLN's Northern Region, denied that the two men were arrested. Navy personnel at the Allaipiddy checkpoint stated that Brown and Vimalathas passed through the Allaipiddy checkpoint and returned soon after, travelling in the direction of Jaffna town. However, local police have been unable to process their request to the Navy to produce the evidence of their return to the Jaffna city. A complaint was lodged with local police as well as the Human Rights Commission regarding their disappearance and investigations took place into their whereabouts. Controversy over found body According to local newspapers a "mutilated torso" packed in a sand bag found off the coast of the Jaffna peninsula, near Pungudutheevu, on March 14, 2007 was identified as the dead priest. However, the Sri Lankan government announced in June 2007 that subsequent DNA analyses had proved that the remains were not those of either man. See also Other notable clergy killed during the Sri Lankan civil war Chandra Fernando Eugene John Hebert George Jeyarajasingham List of people who disappeared Mariampillai Sarathjeevan Mary Bastian References External links Disappearance of Fr. Jim Brown and Abrupt Transfer of the Magistrate Sri Lankan priest disappears as civilian toll mounts 1972 births 2000s missing person cases 2006 deaths 21st-century Roman Catholic martyrs Assassinated Sri Lankan activists Enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka Minority rights activists Missing people People from Jaffna People murdered in Sri Lanka 20th-century Sri Lankan Roman Catholic priests Sri Lankan Tamil priests 21st-century Sri Lankan Roman Catholic priests