Cyanide 'killed Chicago lottery winner' Urooj Khan

The death of a Chicago lottery winner has led to a murder investigation after a post-mortem examination found he died of cyanide poisoning.

Urooj Khan, 46, died suddenly as he was about to collect almost $425,000 (£264,000), but his death was initially attributed to natural causes.

The local coroner reopened his case after a relative came forward.

Chicago police confirmed they were now investigating Khan's death as a homicide.

"It's pretty unusual," Cook County Medical Examiner Stephen Cina said, commenting on the rarity of cyanide poisonings. "I've had one, maybe two cases out of 4,500 autopsies I've done."

Mr Cina's office found that Khan died shortly after ingesting a lethal dose of cyanide.

If a lottery winner dies, the money typically goes to his or her estate, a spokesman for the Illinois lottery said.

At the time, the medical examiner's office did not generally perform autopsies on those older than 45 unless the death was suspicious. A basic toxicology screening came back negative and Khan's death was ruled a result of the narrowing and hardening of his arteries.

Deborah Blum, a poisons expert, said cyanide would taste strongly bitter but that a lethal dose could kill within five minutes.

The poison, Ms Blum said, disrupts the ability of cells to transport oxygen around the body, causing a convulsive, violent death.