Who Killed Lottery Winner Urooj Khan?
12 August 2026
Deep Dive
When 46 year old Urooj Khan, a dry cleaning shop owner based in the US city of Chicago, won $1,000,000 on a lottery scratchcard, he immediately began asking himself the question many of us will only ever daydream about: how should I spend my lottery winnings? But just the day after his winning cheque was posted to him, Urooj tragically passed away after collapsing at home. Was his death as suspicious as his post-mortem testing indicated? Or are there even more mysterious details lurking beneath this unsolved case than we even realise? Join Chyaz as she explores this strange story…
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Source Shout Outs:
BBC News Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20941355
The Guardian Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/08/illinois-lottery-winner-poisoned-chicago
ABC News Articles: https://abcnews.com/Business/wife-poisoned-chicago-lottery-winner-urooj-khan-truth/story?id=18167117
https://abcnews.com/Business/poisoned-lotto-winners-widow-proof-stake-estate/story?id=18441474
Sky News Article: https://news.sky.com/story/poisoned-lottery-winner-autopsy-inconclusive-10453044
NBC News Articles: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/lottery-winner-killed-cyanide-was-immigrant-family-man-flna1b7888713
Illinois Lottery Winners’ Handbook: https://www.illinoislottery.com/content/dam/il/pdfs/winning/Winners_Handbook_August_2018.pdf
Global News Article: https://globalnews.ca/news/2755975/sister-of-lottery-winner-poisoned-with-cyanide-says-police-have-done-nothing/
CNN Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/01/us/illinois
Scientific Papers: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00389621
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Themes
- Forensic uncertainty and toxicology limits
- Timing, wealth and motive
- Family, investigation and unanswered questions
Questions Explored
Who was Urooj Khan? + −
Urooj Khan was a 46 year old immigrant from India who settled in Chicago and built a small chain of dry cleaners called Style Dry Cleaners, plus property investments; he was married to Shabana Ansari and had a teenage daughter from a previous marriage. Chyaz Samuel introduces his background in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 97: Who Killed Lottery Winner Urooj Khan?
When and how did Urooj Khan win the lottery, and what did he plan to do with the money? + −
Urooj scratched a winning Illinois scratchcard that paid $1,000,000, chose a single lump sum payment which reduced the prize to about $600,000 and after taxes was reported around $425,000; he planned to reinvest in his businesses and donate to St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Chyaz Samuel lays out these details in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 97: Who Killed Lottery Winner Urooj Khan?
Where and when did Urooj Khan die, and what did the initial medical examiner record? + −
On 20 July 2012, in Chicago, Urooj collapsed at home after feeling unwell following dinner and later died; the initial external examination and early toxicology found no drugs or carbon monoxide, and his death certificate listed arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease as the cause. Chyaz Samuel recounts these events in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 97: Who Killed Lottery Winner Urooj Khan?
Why was the case reopened and what did retesting and the exhumation find? + −
A family member asked authorities to retest stored fluid samples after burial, and in November those samples reportedly showed lethal levels of cyanide, prompting a homicide investigation and the 18 January 2013 exhumation; the subsequent autopsy did not detect cyanide due to advanced putrefaction but confirmed a major coronary artery was about 75 percent blocked. Chyaz Samuel goes into the testing timeline in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 97: Who Killed Lottery Winner Urooj Khan?
Why do experts find the cyanide finding unusual or puzzling in this case? + −
Experts noted cyanide murders are rare because the chemical is hard to obtain, tastes strongly bitter and typically produces a very rapid convulsive death, which differs from the slower course reported in Urooj’s case; the episode also raises that some testing methods can produce false positives, a point Chyaz discusses in depth. Chyaz Samuel examines expert commentary in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 97: Who Killed Lottery Winner Urooj Khan?
What is the current status of the investigation and what happened to Urooj’s estate? + −
As of Chyaz’s recording in August 2026, the case remains open with no arrests or charges and family members have criticised the lack of progress; in December 2013 the estate and winnings were reported split between his wife and daughter with an agreement not to sue each other for wrongful death unless new criminal evidence emerged. Chyaz Samuel outlines the case status in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 97: Who Killed Lottery Winner Urooj Khan?