REUTERS/Johnny Milano
Frank Ancona, the “imperial wizard” of a Missouri Ku Klux Klan branch, was found dead by that state’s Big River on Saturday. Ancona, 51, had reportedly gone missing shortly after telling his wife that he was traveling out of state on a business trip and that he was filing for a divorce when he returned. His employers told The Daily Journal they did not send him on a business trip. Before Ancona was reported missing, his wife wrote a Facebook post asking for a roommate. Police found his car abandoned in a remote forest, and his home safe damaged by a crowbar. A family discovered his body on a riverbank while on a fishing trip. His cause of death is still unknown, pending a Sunday autopsy. During his life, Ancona led a Klan branch accused of conspiring to murder a black man. He drew media attention for posting videos of cross burnings and declaring white supremacy.