Michael Joseph Howell, 50, was found dead on March 23, 2014, in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. His body was discovered in a plastic container in the family’s storage shed by house guests who were moving a pinball machine. He was heavily decomposed and investigators determined the cause of death was a single shotgun wound to the head.

The investigation concluded that his daughter, Crystal Brooke Howell, shot him on February 24, 2014, while he was napping, then hid his body in the shed and continued to live in the house. She allegedly hosted parties, spent his money, installed a stripper pole in the kitchen and told friends that he had committed suicide. Crystal fled the state and was arrested in Richmond County, Georgia, on March 23, 2014, in possession of her father’s Land Rover and a U-Haul trailer of belongings. She admitted to the killing and was charged with first-degree murder and concealment of death; she later pleaded guilty and received a minimum 30-year sentence.

Detectives from the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office and agents from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the state crime lab, handled the case; Detective Scott Robinson and Special Agent Casey Drake were noted for securing Crystal’s confession. Does anyone have information about Michael Howell’s life in Maggie Valley or remembers him from the community?