New DH calendar
Article updated: 2/28/2013 10:07 AM

Miss. town stunned by slaying of mayoral candidate

Buy this photo Buy this photo
Gallery Image

Marco McMillian, 34, a candidate for mayor of Clarksdale, Miss., who was found dead on the Mississippi River levee Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013 between Sherard and Rena Lara, Miss. Authorities say the case is being investigated as a homicide. McMillian had served as international executive director of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. His campaign said he may have been the first openly gay man to be a viable candidate for public office in Mississippi.

Associated Press

About this Article

Whatever his prospects for winning the coming mayoral election in his hometown of Clarksdale, Miss., Marco McMillian was considered by many to be a man on the rise. So word spread fast when his SUV was involved in a wreck this week, and he was nowhere to be found. The discovery of the openly gay candidate’s body near a Mississippi River levee Wednesday stunned residents. Authorities were investigating McMillian’s death as a homicide, and said a person of interest was in custody.