Plain-living hermit found dead was millionaire
The 79-year-old man lived alone in a rundown shack in rural New York without running water or heat.
Mr George Konnight, who was found dead last Friday, had never been to the dentist nor did he have a telephone at home.
But it turns out that the modest hermit was a millionaire, with US$3 million (S$3.74 million) in the bank from a sale of family land last November, reported The Journal News.
Mr Konnight had lived alone since both his sisters died in the last two years.
A distant cousin, Ms Beverly Moore, 75, said: "They didn't have many friends or even a telephone."
"I used to get calls asking about them. I told the caller they had to mail them a letter."
The coroner's office will determine the cause of Mr Konnight's death, but the death is not considered suspicious.
Lived like recluses
A neighbour said that the two lived like recluses and never had real jobs, reported Daily Mail.
They had no expenses other than taxes, and would sell land passed down in the family to pay them.
Mr Konnight's lawyer Thomas O'Connell had known his client for about 15 years ago and said he had been making strides in living a normal life after the death of his "domineering" sister last year.
His money will be donated to charity.
Sources: The Journal News, Daily Mail
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