Woman says her $26 million lottery ticket was destroyed in the laundry

NORWALK, Calif. [AP] – A woman might’ve washed her chances at wealth down the drain — literally.

The winner of a $26 million California Lottery prize told convenience store workers on Wednesday that she left her ticket in her pants and it was destroyed in the laundry.

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, Associated Press reported.

The store’s manager told KTLA-TV that surveillance video showed the woman who bought the ticket, and she’s known to store workers. California Lottery officials are investigating a copy of the video, lottery spokeswoman Cathy Johnston said.

Lottery officials said someone who believes they are 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 no one claims the prize, the full cash option will go to California public schools.

The store that sold the winning ticket will receive a $130,000 bonus.

Officials said it’s rare for large jackpots to go unclaimed.

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.

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