RantCrush Top 5: February 13, 2017

A KKK leader in Missouri was found dead with a gunshot wound to his head on Saturday, several days after going missing. The man, Frank Ancona, was the “imperial wizard” for the KKK branch the “Traditionalist American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.” He was found on a riverbed and police are investigating his death as a homicide. According to police, he was last seen by his wife before leaving for work on Wednesday, and she said that his boss had asked him to deliver car parts across the state. But the boss said he never asked Ancona to do so. Ancona allegedly packed a bag full of clothes, took all the guns in the house, and indicated that he wanted a divorce before leaving. And to make things even weirder, Ancona’s wife now disagrees with her original account.

Man who identified himself as KKK leader found dead on banks of Missouri River https://t.co/F5gx4yCdZK pic.twitter.com/8pgY4Kod4i

— 48 Hours (@48hours) February 13, 2017

In 2014, Ancona’s KKK group distributed fliers targeting people who protested the shooting of black teenager Michael Brown that said, “To the terrorists masquerading as ‘peaceful protesters!’ You have awakened a sleeping giant. …We will use lethal force as provided under Missouri Law to defend ourselves.” In 2015, famed hacker group Anonymous leaked hundreds of names of people tied to white supremacist groups and Ancona was exposed. The details of Ancona’s death, however, remain unclear.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.