A California woman who bought a winning $26 million SuperLotto Plus ticket accidentally washed it away in the laundry. Speculation regarding the unclaimed fortune reached national news in the past few days.

Lottery Winner Throws Ticket Away

The grand winning SuperLotto Plus ticket for the drawing for November 14 was sold at an Arco AM/PM convenience store in a gas station in Norwalk, Los Angeles. Thursday was the final day to redeem the golden prize.

The lottery ticket was purchased for the November 14 drawing last year from the Arco AMPM at 10602 Imperial Highway in Los Angeles County. According to the store manager where the ticket was sold -- who would only provide his name as Frank -- surveillance video displayed the individual who bought the ticket and is known by store workers, reported CBS 17.

On her recent visit to the business, the gas station said the woman, who is in her 40s, told Frank that she accidentally washed away the golden ticket. Even if the transaction's surveillance video remains intact, the footage would not be sufficient proof for claiming the prize, reported New York Post.

Nobody claimed the grand prize. According to store employee Esperanza Hernandez, the woman came in Wednesday and told employees that she had placed the ticket in her pants. It was destroyed in the laundry, reported AP.

The store manager suggested that the woman talks to waiting reporters, anticipating identifying and interviewing her, but she declined. According to him, a copy of the surveillance footage was transferred to officials of the California Lottery. However, the store recorded over the original version, and they do not possess the footage anymore.

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According to the state's lottery, if the prize is not claimed, a one-time payout of $19.7 million will be transferred to California's public schools. Officials stated over one billion dollars in unclaimed prizes had been donated to Golden State schools.

Also, according to the manager, a copy of the surveillance footage was turned over to California Lottery officials. The claim will undergo probing, lottery spokeswoman Cathy Johnston stated.

Lottery officials did not immediately answer questions regarding possible video evidence of the winner. They also did not respond to the recourse to someone inadvertently destroying a winning ticket.

According to the officials, someone who believes he or she is a winner should complete a claim form. However, if someone loses a ticket, they should provide proof that they owned it. One example is a photograph of the front and back of the ticket.

The golden numbers for the November 14, 2020 draw were 36, 23, 31, 12, 13, and a Mega number of 10. Lottery officials had been persuading players to double-check any tickets bought within the say at the winning location to check if one matches the six numbers.

The $26 million prizes could be received in yearly installments or as a $19.7 million cash option. Officials also said it is uncommon for massive jackpots not to be claimed.

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