BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The brother of an Argentine protester whose disappearance prompted large demonstrations says the family believes a body found this week is Santiago Maldonado.

Maldonado's brother, Sergio Maldonado told reporters Friday that his family is "convinced that the body is Santiago."

The body was found Tuesday near the location of a protest on Aug. 1. That's when Maldonado was last seen. Protesters were demanding the release of a jailed Mapuche indigenous leader and the return of lands belonging to Italian clothing company Benetton that are claimed by the Mapuche as their ancestral territory.

People at the protest said they saw police beat and detain Maldonado after he and others blocked a road in southern Chubut.

Police never confirmed the arrest and denied wrongdoing.