LEADWOOD, Mo. — Authorities are investigating the death of a Missouri man who identified himself as an “imperial wizard” of the Ku Klux Klan.
Washington County Sheriff Zach Jacobsen told the Park Hills Daily Journal that the body of 51-year-old Frank Ancona of Leadwood, Missouri, was found near the Big River Saturday by a family fishing in the area near Belgrade, about an hour and a half southwest of St. Louis.
Ancona had been missing since Wednesday. His car was found Friday evening in Mark Twain National Forest.
Ancona was reportedly found with a gunshot wound to the head.
The St. Louis Post Dispatch reports that evidence of a burn pile was found near Ancona’s vehicle.
Washington County Sherriff Zach Jacobsen wrote on Facebook:
“On Friday the Washington County Sheriff’s Office learned of the disappearance of Frank Ancona who was missing from Leadwood Missouri. During this time, we were also informed Mr. Ancona’s vehicle had been located by a United States Federal Forest Service employee on Federal Forest Service Property. Deputies responded and secured the area.
On Saturday, I requested assistance from the Missouri State Highway Patrol due to the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Mr. Ancona. During the investigation, one subject was arrested on an unrelated warrant and two search warrants were executed in Washington County.
Subsequently, a body was discovered on the bank of the Big River near Belgrade Missouri, in southern Washington County. The body was transported by the Washington County Corner’s Office for an autopsy. The body was identified as Mr. Ancona, and his family has been notified. A cause of death has not been released and any inquires should be addressed to the Saint Francois County Sheriff’s Office.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office would like to extend our sympathy to Mr. Ancona’s family and friends. I would like to thank the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Franklin County Sheriff”s Office and the Saint Francois County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance and professionalism during this tragic and senseless act of violence.
I would also like to thank my staff for the professionalism and dedication they show day in and day out for our great community, and to the citizens of Missouri.”
Police arrested Ancona’s stepson on an unrelated warrant. Ancona’s wife was also questioned about the case, according to KMOV.
The investigation is ongoing.
Ancona had been quoted by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about his role in the KKK. A website for the Traditionalist American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan features a photo of him in a white hood and robe standing in front of a burning cross.
Ancona was part of a Kansas City Star report on domestic terrorism in 2015, and appeared on MSNBC in 2014 discussing the KKK’s actions during the unrest in Ferguson, Mo.
Ancona appears in a YouTube video espousing white nationalist views of the Ku Klux Klan.