Marco McMillian, an openly gay man who was running for mayor of Clarksville, Mississippi, was reportedly found dead by a levee off of a highway.

The body of the 34-year-old candidate was discovered Wednesday (27 February) morning, according to The Clarksdale Press Register.

‘Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Marco McMillian, one of the 1st viable openly # LGBT candidates in Mississippi,’ The Victory Fund tweeted after the discovery was made public.

The circumstances of his death remain somewhat mysterious and it’s not know how they are connected to a car accident involving his car a day earlier.

On Tuesday (27 February) morning, an SUV registered to McMillian was involved in a head-on collision. But another man, who was airlifted to a local hospital, was driving the car and McMillian was not in it.

McMillian had been expected at a Black History Month service at Missionary Baptist Church Tuesday evening. The event turned into something of an inpromptu memorial because news of his disappearance and rumors of his death had spread by then.

One of his mayoral opponents, Brad Fair, was among those at the church service and told the newspaper: ‘Clarksdale is going to miss his motivated leadership.’