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Abraham Shakespeare, Florida Lottery Winner, Feared Dead; Remains Found

(Florida Lottery)
(Facebook Photo)
(The Ledger/Pierre DuCharme)
PLANT CITY, Fla. (CBS/AP) When Abraham Shakespeare won the Florida lottery, he thought he was the luckiest man in the world. Now he is feared dead and the woman who police have called a "person of interest" in his disappearance is living in his former home.

Photo: Abraham Shakespeare, center, displays an oversized check after winning the lottery in 2006.

Human remains were found at a home owned by the boyfriend of Dorice Moore. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd has previously called Moore a "person of interest," though she has not been charged.

Medical examiners have not yet conclusively determined if the remains are Shakespeare's, according to Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee.

Photo: Dorice "Dee Dee" Moore.

Shakespeare, a 43-year-old truck driver's assistant, has been missing since April - though he wasn't reported missing until November. He had won a $31 million lottery jackpot in 2006, and opted for a lump sum payment of nearly $17 million.

An anonymous tip led investigators to the property about 30 miles from Tampa, according to CBS affiliate WTSP. According to county records, the house is owned by Shar Krasniqi, who police say is Moore's boyfriend.

Photo: Abraham Shakespeare.

On Dec. 5, Moore told The Ledger newspaper that she helped Shakespeare disappear, but wanted him to return because detectives were searching her home and car and looking for blood on her belongings.

Moore has said she doesn't know where Abraham Shakespeare is, but authorities say she transferred more than $1 million from his bank account into hers. She claims the money was a gift.

According to the Associated Press, Shakespeare used his winnings to buy a Nissan Altima, a Rolex from a pawn shop and a $1 million home in a gated community - but the money quickly caused him problems.

A former co-worker sued him in 2007, accusing Shakespeare of stealing the winning ticket from him. Six months later, a jury ruled the ticket was Shakespeare's. His mother, Elizabeth Walker, said others were constantly asking Shakespeare for a piece of his fortune.

Not long after he bought the million-dollar home in early 2007, he was approached by Moore, family and sheriff's officials said.

She became something of a financial adviser, and property records showed that her company bought Shakespeare's house in January 2009. According to The Ledger of Lakeland, she has been living in there ever since.

Reporting Contributed by CBS Affiliate WTSP

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