Homicide suspected in mayoral candidate's death

Marco McMillian

From Media Reports

CLARKSDALE

Authorities said a mayoral candidate in the Mississippi Delta has been found dead and the case is being investigated as a homicide.

Coahoma County Coroner Scotty Meredith said the body of 34-year-old Marco McMillian was found on the Mississippi River levee Wednesday about 10 a.m.

Marco McMillian

McMillian was running for mayor of Clarksdale, a Blues music hub and home to actor Morgan Freeman.

Meredith said the body was found between Sherard and Rena Lara. He said it was sent to Jackson for an autopsy and declined to provide further details.

Authorities had been looking for McMillian since another man crashed McMillian’s car into another vehicle on Tuesday. McMillian was not in the car.

The sheriff’s office said deputies responded to the two-car crash on U.S. Highway 49 South near the Coahoma and Tallahatchie county lines on Tuesday about 8 a.m.

The sheriff’s office said Wednesday in a news release that a person of interest was in custody, but had not been formally charged.

Campaign spokesman Jarod Keith said McMillian’s campaign was noteworthy because he may have been the first openly gay man to be a viable candidate for public office in Mississippi.

McMillian’s campaign said in a statement that words cannot describe “our grief at the loss of our dear friend.”

“We remember Marco as a

bold and passionate public servant, whose faith informed every aspect of his life,” the statement said.

McMillian was CEO of MWM & Associates, described on its website as a consulting firm for nonprofit organizations. He had recently served as international executive director of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., according to his campaign. He also worked at Alabama A&M University and Jackson State University in the past.

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