He had the wealth of a king but lived like a pauper.
George Konnight, of Rockland County, New York, died with nearly $3 million in his bank account, The Journal News reported. But the crumbling, rural home he was found dead outside of was a far cry from extravagant- evidence of what investigators and neighbors say was Konnight's choice to live a secluded and meager lifestyle.
"He lived a very simple life, hermit-like." Ramapo Detective Lieutenant Mark Emma told The Journal News. "He was alone."
Konnight's skeletal remains were found outside his home in Ramapo last Friday during a police search with canine units. The elderly man was reported missing by his neighbor who said he had not seen him for three weeks.
Emma said the man most likely died from a medical condition while walking around his property.
"He'd wander through the paths and woods," Emma told the newspaper. "It looks like he cut his own firewood. He had one light. The house was in disarray. People could have thought the house may have been abandoned."
The house sat on property that used to be part of a family-owned farm. But nearly 31.5 of acres of the land was sold to a New Jersey-based company named JIEM Properties in November. Konnight's sister was listed as the seller, but after she passed away the $3 million from the sale apparently went to Konnight.
Neighbors said Konnight was not the only hermit in the family.
"They lived like recluses," Eugene Erickson, who attended school with Konnight and one of his two sisters, told the newspaper. Though he's been their neighbor since 1956, the 82-year-old never learned much about the Konnights.
"Nobody knew them. They lived by themselves. I'd say hello to George and maybe got a wave. You never got much in return as far as answers from him," Erickson said.
The Rockland County Medical Examiner's Office is to perform an autopsy to determine Konnight's cause of death.
