Mark and Cindy Hill, Powerball winners in Missouri meet the media, claim prize

DEARBORN, Mo. - The state of Missouri, and the rest of the United States, was introduced to the Show-Me State’s newest millionaires on Friday.

Joined by their children and other family members at North Platte R-1 High School, where they met and were high school sweethearts, Mark and Cindy Hill accepted a ceremonial check for $293,750,000 on Friday.

Cindy Hill purchased the winning Powerball ticket at the Trex Mart in their hometown of Dearborn after Mark gave her $10 and told her to go get some tickets to Wednesday night’s record-breaking drawing.

The Hills will split the $587.5 million prize with a yet-to-come-forward winner in Arizona.

The family says they hope to stay grounded as they accept their new riches. Cindy Hill said they would be accepting the prize in a lump sum payout, which is estimated at $192.35 million, before taxes.

Cindy said it was only a coincidence that the winning numbers - 5-23-16-22-29, Powerball 6 - matched the jersey numbers of Kansas City Royals legends George Brett, Mark Gubicza, Bo Jackson, Dennis Leonard, Dan Quisenberry and Willie Wilson.

Mark and Cindy both expressed how shocked they were when they came to the realization that they were holding the winning ticket.

“I was shaking,” Cindy Hill said. “I thought I was having a heart attack.”