Man, Believed to Have Won the Lottery Found Dead in Philadelphia, PA

A young man from South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was found dead last week. The male was missing since April and it is believed he won a hefty $1 million prize from the lottery just before disappearing.

Police Investigates the Death of 25-Year-Old Male from South Philadelphia

Francis Decero, a 25-year-old South Philadelphia resident had been missing since April 26, 2022. Last week Wednesday, the young male was found dead. Decero’s body was found in bushes on a quiet street. Police authorities launched a murder investigation considering that the body of the young male had signs of severe trauma including burn marks and stabs.

According to KYW, Decero may have won a significant $1 million prize from a lottery ticket, right before disappearing. A list of the winners from April 2022 released by the Pennsylvania Lottery confirms that a person named Francis D won a $1 million prize from a scratch-off ticket called Extreme Green.

Decero was last seen parking his car near 13th Street and Oregon Avenue. Before disappearing, the young male was seen entering an unknown vehicle, CCTV footage reveals. The 25-year-old is likely the same person that won the recent lottery prize, considering that the winning ticket was sold at 15th Street and Oregon Avenue, which was quite close to Decero’s home.

It is yet to be confirmed if the lottery win may be related to the death of the young adult. A police investigation is ongoing but so far there are no arrests made for the crime.

Elsewhere, police authorities in Macau are currently investigating the death of two women. The victims were found strangled to death and left naked in one of the rooms on the 9th floor of the MGM Cotai Resort. The incident, according to police authorities, happened back on May 7. The investigation of the crime continues and police authorities are yet to confirm if there is a suspect.

Crimes Rarely Impact Lottery Winners

Without any doubt, winning a big prize, regardless if six, seven or even more figures is exciting. There aren’t many people that fall victim to crimes related to their winnings, but incidents do happen. Whatever the case is, once the winner is presented publicly, there’s certainly an increase in the risk of a potential crime. This is one of the reasons why winners of hundred-million-dollar prizes in some states choose to remain anonymous.