HOUSTON, June 6 (UPI) -- The death of a Texas man described by authorities as a white racist leader, who was found in a crashed pickup truck May 19, is still a mystery, police said.
Frank Roch Jr., 54, of Baytown, was "the general of generals" of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, U.S. Attorney John Bales told the Houston Chronicle.
He was found slumped in a pickup truck crashed along U.S. 59 and died that night. His funeral was May 25 and his remains were cremated. Medical examiners have not determined a cause of death.
"It is an open case," Houston police spokesman Kese Smith said. "Witnesses reported seeing the vehicle swerve and strike a concrete barrier."
Authorities say Roch commanded some 1,500 Aryan Brothers, inside prisons and out. His multitude of tattoos included a swastika and a hypodermic needle.
He had decades of crimes on his record and was last in prison in 2009, federal records show.
A Texas law enforcement officer who requested anonymity said Roch was a "very high-IQ guy" and "his loss has created a major disturbance in this gang."
The Aryan Brotherhood carries out murders, assaults, robberies and extortion, federal authorities charge.
