Arthur Neal Found Dead: Missing Lottery Winner Stabbed To Death In Empty House

Arthur Neal, the missing 86-year old man who disappeared after winning the lottery, has been found dead. The Detroit News is reporting that Arthur Neal was found dead in an empty house in Detroit, Michigan on Sunday. Neal had been missing since December 20 after winning a $20,000 lottery the day before, according to family members. Police have not yet determined if the man did indeed win since there was no records of anyone winning $20,000 in the state’s lottery in December.

Investigators were called to the scene in the 15800 block of Mansfield, where they found the body of an elderly black male with stab wounds to the body. Earlier news reports indicated that the body was found under a tarp, though police have declined to confirm that detail.

“We can confirm that the body that was found was Mr. Neal, and it is being investigated as a homicide,” Officer Adam Madera said Wednesday. “We don’t want to go into great deal of detail but the body was covered, but not with a tarp as previously reported.”

The old man was last seen on December 20, when he informed family members that he had won the lottery. When he suddenly vanished, his friends and family were concerned that someone had harmed him, since it was unlikely that he would leave on his own. Family members also say that Neal would never miss Christmas with his family, and they were disturbed by the fact that many people in the neighborhood were aware that the had won the lottery. One family member told CBS-News the following.

“It bothers me greatly because I don’t think that’s the type of information that should have seeped out – if that was the case – especially that neighborhood in which he was staying and reside.”

When family members reported Neal missing, they told police that Neal’s home was in disarray and the door was left partially open. At the time police did not feel that his disappearance was a result of foul play. The bearded man’s 1998 black Cadillac Deville was also missing. Now, investigators are working hard to find his killer.

Many lottery winners have reported being cursed after they became rich. Some have reported falling out with family members and being betrayed by friends. Others have lost their lives as they became targets just after winning the lottery.

The story of Abraham Shakespeare is especially sad. Shakespeare won $30 million in the lottery in 2006. In a previous article, Inquisitr reported that Shakespeare’s mother was afraid for her son, and told him repeatedly that the money was cursed and she wanted no part of it. His mother’s worst fears came true when Shakespeare suddenly disappeared in 2009.

For a year, no one had any idea what happened to him. Investigators were eventually led to a woman who befriended the man and became his lover. She had originally told Shakespeare that she was interested in writing a book about him. But, the woman, identified as Dee Dee Moore, had intended to kill him and live off of his earnings. Shakespeare’s dead body was found buried under a concrete slab under the home of Dee Dee Moore.

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