The body of openly gay Clarksdale, Miss., mayoral candidate Marco McMillian was found in a levee Feb. 27and a 22-year-old man has been charged with his murder, according to the Washington Post.
The Coahoma County Sheriff's Department said in a news release that Lawrence Reed of Shelby, Miss., was charged in the death of McMillian.
An investigation began Feb. 26 when a man crashed McMillian's SUV into another car on U.S. Highway 49; the candidate was not in the car.
The body was sent for an autopsy, and the cause of death has not been made public. In addition, the sheriff's department has not released a possible motive for the crime.
Campaign spokesman Jarod Keith has said McMillian's campaign was noteworthy because he may have been the first out gay man who was a viable candidate for public office in Mississippi.
In a tweet, the Victory Fundwhose aim is to elect LGBT leadersposted, "Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Marco McMillian, one of the 1st viable openly #LGBT candidates in Mississippi."