RED BUD, Illinois (UPI) ― The last of the three March 30 Mega Millions lottery winners came forward Wednesday and accepted their over-sized cardboard check for $218 million.
Merle and Patricia Butler of Red Bud, Illinois, near St. Louis, were presented with the check in a ceremony at Red Bud City Hall, which represented a one-third share of the largest multistate lottery jackpot in history.
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Illinois Lottery Supt. Michael Jones (left) helps Merle and Patricia Butler unveil their winnings from the Mega Millions Quick Pick during a press conference in Red Bud, Illinois, Wednesday. (UPI-Yonhap News) |
Red Bud had been rife with speculation among locals and reporters who descended on the small town the past few weeks as identities of the winners remained a mystery after it was reported a local convenience store had sold a winning ticket but no one had come forward to claim the prize, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
The Butlers spent the time working with a St. Louis attorney and a financial planner, and keeping the secret from all but a few relatives and close friends, the Chicago Tribune said.
The other winning tickets were sold in Maryland and Kansas.
Merle, 65, a retired insurance company computer analyst, and Patricia, 62, a former programmer for the investment company Edward Jones, have been married for 41 years, took the lottery payout in a lump sum of $110,517,449 after taxes and have no intentions of leaving their hometown, population 3,700.
“We’ve lived here a long time and we don’t plan on doing anything else,” Merle Butler said.
