Alexandria woman matches five numbers to win $1 million

Drawing Date: 10/11/2016

November 7, 2016 - “I’m very happy. I still can’t believe this happened to me.”

That was Maria Melendez’s reaction when she redeemed her Mega Millions ticket for $1 million with the Virginia Lottery. The Alexandria, Va., woman matched the first five numbers in the October 11 drawing to win the game’s second prize.

She bought her winning ticket at the 7-Eleven at 8434 Frye Road in Alexandria.  She selected the numbers on her ticket using her children’s birthdays. The store receives a $10,000 bonus from the Lottery for selling the winning ticket.

“I couldn’t stop laughing for a very long time,” she said as she claimed her prize.

The winning numbers in that drawing were 36-39-42-45-48, and the Mega Ball number was 3.

Ms. Melendez said she hopes to use her winnings to start a small business and pay for her children’s education.