A woman who won a $26 million lottery prize washed her chance of fortune down the drain.
The winning ticket of SuperLotto Plus for the November 14 drawing was reportedly sold at an ARCO AM/PM convenience store in California.
The last day to redeem it was on Thursday – but nobody claimed the prize.
Speaking to Whittier Daily News, store employee Esperanza Hernandez said that a woman arrived and told them that she had accidentally put the winning ticket in her pants and it was completely destroyed in the laundry.
The convenience store’s manager told KTLA-TV that a CCTV video showed the woman who purchased the ticket.
She is also well known to employees.
The manager said that a copy of the surveillance footage was given to California Lottery officials.
However, California lottery officials said that the surveillance video would not be enough to verify the winner.
Lottery spokesperson Cathy Johnston said the claim will be investigated.
Officials said that someone who believes she or he is a winner must complete a claim form. For those who lose a ticket, they must provide evidence that they owned it, such as photos of the front and back of the winning ticket.
The November 14 winning numbers were: 12, 13, 23, 31, 36, and the mega number of 10. The $26 million prize can be taken as a $19.7 million cash or in annual installments.
If not claimed, the $19.7 million will be given to California public schools.
This is not the first time large winnings went unclaimed.
Lottery spokesman Jorge De La Cruz told the LA Times that four prizes of $20 million or more have not been claimed since 1997, including a $63 million prize from 2015.
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