time. it was an absolute nightmare. >> reporter: isidore banks was a pillar of the black community. when he was growing up here in arkansas, the town did not have electricity. but as a young man in the '20s, he helped bring electricity to the town. he was one of the wealthiest, if not the wealthiest black land owner in an area with a sinister history of racial tension. in june of 1954, banks' picture appeared in a newspaper. but the store kri that accompanied it was not about his professional successes. he had been reported missing. a few days after isidore banks disappeared, his lifeless body was found in this desolate area just outside of town, hanging from a tree. an empty gasoline can was found nearby. the gas had been used to douse his body, burning him beyond recognition. what was done to him was cruel, sadistic, and unpunished. jim banks and his mother found out his father was dead when a relative came to their door.