Hudson Valley ‘Hermit’ Was a Secret Millionaire

A local Hudson Valley man was found dead this past week. He lived with no indoor plumbing or heat, but passed away with well over $3 million dollars in the bank.  According to The Journal News 79-year old Ramapo resident, George Konnight, died while walking in the woods.  His skeletal remains were discovered on Friday after a neighbor reported that they haven't seen him for weeks.  Police do not suspect foul play.  However, identification was difficult due to the fact that Konnight never visited a dentist in his life, so dental records were unable to be used.  The body was eventually identified by a cane found at the scene that belonged to Konnight.

According to a lawyer who had worked with the family throughout the years, Konnight and his two sisters lived an "off the grid" lifestyle throughout most of their lives and never held traditional jobs.  They would sell off parts of their over 200 acres of property whenever they needed money.  Most recently, property was sold to pay off a tax debt.  The attorney went on to say:

They wanted to stay where they were because they enjoyed their bucolic lifestyle, being isolated and surrounded by trees with deer running through the yard... Their only overhead was taxes. They didn't have a lawyer helping them out. They didn't want to get involved with the government. They just couldn't keep up with the taxes.