This Lottery Winner Was Poisoned on His Way to Collect $425,000
We now know what killed Urooj Khan, the Chicago lottery winner who died in July 2012, one day before he planned to collect $425,000 of his winnings. We just don't know who killed him. Nearly two months after trace amounts of cyanide were discovered during an expanded toxicology test of Khan's blood, the Cook County medical examiner confirmed on Friday afternoon that Khan died of cyanide poisoning. The autopsy of his remains, however, didn't yield any new information about the circumstances of his death, which attracted national attention when a family member of Khan's approached Chicago police with a tip that Khan has been poisoned. (His death was initially blamed on natural causes.) And while the medical examiner noted that Khan suffered from an artery disease that may have exacerbated the effects of cyanide, there was enough evidence to declare his death a homicide.
The announcement returns the spotlight to the very public drama of Khan's family, member of which have yet to agree on how to split Khan's estate. (On top of his lottery winnings, Khan owned several dry cleaner stores in the Chicago area.) And it highlights the reality that Chicago police still have zero suspects for Khan's death. Still, that hasn't weakened the resolve of Khan's brother, ImTiaz, who told the Chicago Tribune that he doesn't think the cops have collected enough evidence pertaining to his brother's death:
“I thought this country was so advanced they can find out and they can prove no matter what, no matter who,” said ImTiaz Khan, a native of India. “I still hope they will (solve) it … The whole family is frustrated now. These individuals are not caught and the murderer is free … I am not going to be quiet. I want justice for my brother.”
Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments
or send an email to the author at
jtrotter at theatlantic dot com.
You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
J.K. Trotter
| Related Articles | More by J.K. Trotter | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Have a story we missed? A link we have to click? A sharp opinion about the news? Instead of waiting for us to post it, tell us on the Open Wire.
Submit your news and ideas | See all reader posts
User Comments
Please type your comment and click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be prompted to log in or register