If you think you have bad luck, read this
 

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Midwest/0....ap/index.html

Police: Woman says she lost $162M ticket

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio (AP) --A Cleveland woman has told police she picked the winning numbers for the $162 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot but lost the ticket before the drawing, according to a police report.

Elecia Battle told police she dropped her purse as she left the Quick Shop Food Mart last week after buying the ticket. She said she realized after the drawing last Tuesday that the ticket was missing.

The Ohio Lottery said the winning ticket was sold at the store, about 15 miles east of Cleveland.

After news of Battle's police report spread Monday night, several people wielding flashlights walked through snow and braved frigid temperatures to try to find the ticket in the store parking lot.

"I decided to come back to see if I could find the winning ticket," said LaVerne Coleman, 57, who says she would keep the winnings if she found the ticket.

Police say Battle was in tears when she came to the station Friday to file the report and did not hesitate when asked to write down the winning numbers.

"We don't believe that she's fabricating it, but there's no real way of knowing other than going on her word," Lt. Kevin Nieter told Cleveland's WEWS-TV on Monday.

Nieter said information Battle knew about when the ticket was bought and how the numbers were picked make her story credible. She told police that the numbers -- 12, 18, 21, 32 and 46 and Mega Ball 49 -- represented family birthdays and ages.

The winning ticket was sold to someone who chose the numbers, not someone who let the machine pick.

Messages left with the police department seeking comment were not immediately returned.

Battle could not immediately be reached for comment. There was no telephone listing for her.

Nieter said Battle may be out of luck if someone else picked up the lone winning ticket.

"Whoever has the ticket has the right to stake the claim to the winning jackpot. You can file all the police reports you want but it's not going to help," he said.

Ohio Lottery spokeswoman Mardele Cohen said that if someone else came in with the ticket, Battle could try to get a temporary restraining order in court to block the winnings from being paid.

The winner has six months from the drawing to claim the largest jackpot in state history. If the money isn't claimed by June 27, it goes to Ohio and 10 other states that participate in the game.

I think I would kill myself :(

You'd be rather annoyed.

that's some pretty fuck up luck..

and that's a lot of fuckin money :(

sucks to be her.

dam, and she wont win again!

Ouch... :(

... fucking vaultures !!! I am on my way to ohio now ...

I dont think I could deal with that. Knowing you would have hit it that big but lost the ticket. Fuck that woman won't sleep right for months.

It's amazing to think that there is a little piece of paper laying in a gutter somewhere right now redeemable for 100 million dollars to the persion who finds it. Almost worth the plane ticket.

-Tony

haha wow... i can't even imagine

wow

I stole it, scratched my ass with it and used it to light my campfire. I travel to Ohio every month...such a long walk...

also if i lived anywhere near that area i would be all over that place and a half mile radius of it. it's gotta be somewhere

omg, I feel for her :(

Ohhhh how horrible. I feel so bad for her. I don't know what I'd do if I found that ticket. Legally I would imagine that I could keep it, but morally I don't know if I could. I'd feel so guilty. But it is alot of money. Maybe I'd offer to share it with her. LOL

Seriously, I feel so bad for her :(

man that is truly bad luck, i would not be able to sleep for months.

personally i would feel obligated to give her like 5-10 mil depending on my take if i happened upon the ticket

i would feel bad if just screwed her out of it