2 Towns Hint at Powerball Winners













The $587 million question on the identity of the winners in the historic Powerball jackpot is still a mystery, but residents in Missouri and Maryland say they already know who the two lucky winners are.


Employees and customers at Marlboro Village Exxon in Upper Marlboro, Md., said a tall, black, bald man held the winning ticket purchased in Arizona, according to ABC News affiliate WJLA-TV.


Meanwhile, speculation began running wild in the small town of Dearborn, Mo., when a factory worker named Mark Hill updated his Facebook account late Thursday, writing, "We are truly blessed, we are lucky winners of the Powerball."


Within hours, his family began celebrating, telling ABC News Hill is one of the two big winners.


"Just shocked. I mean, I thought we were all going to have heart attacks," Hill's mother, Shirley, said Thursday.


Hill's mother says her son and his wife, Cindy, have three grown sons and an adopted daughter from China, but the family has been struggling financially.


Hill works in a hot dog and deli packaging factory, but it was unclear whether he showed up for work Thursday night.


"I'm very happy for him. He's worked hard in his life; well, not anymore," Hill's son Jason said. "Well, I hope we all stay very grounded, stay humble and don't forget who we are."










Powerball Numbers: Two Winners Take Record Jackpot Watch Video









Powerball's Half-Billion Dollar Prize: Lotto Success Stories Watch Video





Missouri Lottery official Susan Goedde confirmed to ABC News Thursday that one of the winning tickets was purchased at a Trex Mart in Dearborn, about 30 miles north of Kansas City.


Lottery officials won't confirm whether Hill is the winner but family members offered another clue: Some of the winning numbers turned out to be the jersey numbers of some all-star Kansas City Royals baseball players, Hill's favorite team.


Hall of Fame third basemen George Brett wore 5; Willie Wilson 6; Bo Jackson 16.


The winning numbers were 5, 23, 16, 22 and 29; Powerball was 6.


Hill did not respond to ABC News' requests for comment.


In Maryland, surveillance cameras at the Upper Marlboro gas station captured the apparent winner walking into the store Thursday afternoon, digging into his chest pocket for his lottery tickets. After a few seconds of scanning the wad of tickets, the man began jumping up and down, pumping his arms.


The man gave the tickets to store manager Nagassi Ghebre, who says the six Powerball numbers was on the ticket, which the apparent winner said he bought in Arizona.


"And then he said, 'I got to get out of here,'" employee Freddie Lopez told WJLA.


But before leaving, the possible winner felt the need to check again to see whether he really had the ticket that millions of Americans dreamed of having.


"He says, 'Is this the right number? I don't know.' And I said, 'Yeah that's the numbers. You got them all,'" customer Paul Gaug told WJLA.


Employees and customers said the main stuck around for a few more seconds shouting, "I won," before leaving.


"He came back a minute later and said, 'I forgot to get my gas. What am I thinking?'" Lopez said.


The man drove out of the gas station in a black car and on a full tank of gas with a cash payout of $192.5 million coming his way.


"He said he lives in Maryland. I'm pretty sure," Gaug said.


The possible jackpot winner was wearing bright neon clothing and store employees told WJLA that he appeared to be a highway or construction worker.


Arizona lottery officials told WJLA that if the man does have the winning ticket, it needs to be redeemed within 180 days of the drawing in Arizona.






You're reading an article about
2 Towns Hint at Powerball Winners
This article
2 Towns Hint at Powerball Winners
can be opened in url
http://newsreseda.blogspot.com/2012/11/2-towns-hint-at-powerball-winners.html
2 Towns Hint at Powerball Winners