The winner of a $26 million California Lottery prize may have literally washed the chance of a fortune down the drain.
The winning SuperLotto Plus ticket for the Nov. 14 drawing was sold at an Arco AM/PM convenience store in the Los Angeles suburb of Norwalk. Thursday was the last day to redeem it.
Nobody did.
Store employee Esperanza Hernandez told the Whittier Daily News that a woman came in Wednesday and told workers that she had put the ticket in her pants and it was destroyed in the laundry.
The store’s manager told KTLA-TV that surveillance video showed the woman who bought the ticket, and she's known to store workers.
A copy of the surveillance video was turned over to California Lottery officials, the manager said.
The claim will be investigated, lottery spokeswoman Cathy Johnston said.
Lottery officials say someone who believes he or she is a winner must complete a claim form. But if someone loses a ticket, they must provide evidence that they owned it, such as a photograph of the front and back of the ticket, the officials said.
The winning numbers were: 23, 36, 12, 31, 13, and the mega number of 10. The $26 million prize can be taken in annual installments or as a $19.7 million cash option.
If the prize isn't claimed, the $19.7 million will go to California public schools.
The store that sold the ticket will receive a $130,000 bonus.
It's uncommon for large jackpots to go unclaimed, officials said.
Four prizes of $20 million or more haven't been claimed since 1997, including a $63 million prize from 2015, lottery spokesman Jorge De La Cruz told the Los Angeles Times.
All week long, Cheddar's own Shannon Lanier is giving you ideas on how to have fun without going too far from home. In this segment, he's creating a water park in his backyard and speaking with Jackie Cucco, senior editor at The Toy Insider, about some of the best products out there to make this a reality.
A little girl in Ireland born with spina bifida got a surprise from her family.
Over 1,400 props from classic movies like Star Wars, Shawshank Redemption and Gladiator will be up for auction next month in what experts say will be one of the largest memorabilia auctions in the world.
From reality TV's newest pop star to Margot Robbie's very pink gifts, here are your top entertainment headlines.
Tina Turner, the unstoppable singer and stage performer who teamed with husband Ike Turner for a dynamic run of hit records and live shows in the 1960s and ‘70s and survived her horrifying marriage to triumph in middle age with the chart-topping "What's Love Got to Do With It," has died at 83.
Rapper Fetty Wap was sentenced to six years in federal prison on Wednesday for his role in a New York-based drug-trafficking scheme.
The daughters of Cheddar's own Shannon LaNier had a chance to interview Halle Bailey, who plays Ariel in Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.
MTV has announced the Video Music Awards will be held this September in New Jersey.
A London judge rejected Prince Harry's bid to pay for his own police protection Tuesday, denying the royal's request to challenge the U.K. government in court.
In entertainment today, De Niro's getting tips and Netflix is going to make us all pay.
