

Abraham 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, opting for a lump sum payment of nearly $17 million.

“We have recovered some human remains and turned them over to the medical examiner's office,” Debbie Carter, a spokeswoman for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, said today. “We still have not made positive identification, and that may be a while.”


Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd has previously called Moore a “person of interest,” though she has not been charged. Judd has characterized the case as a homicide.


Judd has said Moore transferred more than $1 million from Shakespeare's bank account into hers. She said the money was a gift.

Shakespeare had a criminal record that included arrests and prison time for burglary, battery and not paying child support. He 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 more 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, has 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 have said. She became something of a financial adviser, and property records showed that her company bought Shakespeare's house in January 2009.