Mississippi police have confirmed the death of 34-year-old Marco McMillian, a Democratic candidate for mayor of the town of Clarksdale, and said they are treating his death as a homicide. McMillian was reported missing on Tuesday, after his car was crashed by another person and McMillian was nowhere to be found. Police eventually located his body in the woods near the Mississippi-Yahoo levee, and the driver has been taken into police custody as a person of interest, according to the Clarion Ledger.
McMillian, who was black, was not your average candidate for political office in conservative Mississippi. According to the Associated Press, he "may have been the first openly gay man to be a viable candidate for public office in the state." In 2004, he was was included in Ebony magazine's list of "30 up-and-coming African Americans" under 30.
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Residents of Clarksdale are also reportedly stunned. "The town is well known to Blues fans," says the AP, "as the home of the crossroads, where Robert Johnson is said to have sold his soul to the devil for skills with a guitar."
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