OH-NO!" Woman claims $162 million Mega Millions ticket lost

Jan 5, 2004, 8:39 pm (8 comments)

Mega Millions

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 in suburban South Euclid last week after buying the ticket.  She said she realized after the drawing last Tuesday that the ticket was missing.

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

I feel like crap right now, said Battle, who cried while speaking to The Associated Press at her home Monday night.

Police say Battle also 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 dont believe that shes fabricating it, but theres no real way of knowing other than going on her word, Lt. Kevin Nieter told Clevelands 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 seeking comment left Monday with the police department were not immediately returned.

Battle, 40, is a pharmacy trainer for Rite-Aid. She would not talk about the specifics of when she bought the ticket, how she lost it or even if she was a regular lottery player.  She said her attorney, Sheldon Starke, would have a news conference Tuesday to announce a reward.

Im praying that someone finds the ticket, brings it forward and gets rewarded and from there we all live happily ever after. Im just praying it has a positive ending, she said.

Her husband, Jimmy Battle, has two jobs, including a paper route. The couple has seven children some from previous marriages ranging in age from 13 to 30.

To have something in your hand and have it slip out is a tough thing to swallow, said Jimmy Battle, 48.

Nieter said Elecia 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 its not going to help, he said.

After news of Battles police report spread Monday night, about 30 people wielding flashlights walked through snow and braved frigid temperatures to try to find the ticket in the store parking lot and nearby bushes.

I decided to come back to see if I could find the winning ticket, said LaVerne Coleman, 57. The South Euclid woman said she would keep the millions if she found the ticket.

The police report says officers tried to see if Battle showed up on the stores surveillance cameras but the store owner said the cameras were broken.

AP

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Todd's avatarTodd

Her story sounds very plausibl

RJOh's avatarRJOh

Anyone turning in the ticket now would have to go through a lot of legal hazel to prove that they actually purchased the ticket which might take months.

RJOh

luckycat's avatarluckycat

I really feel bad for her.

 

I feel bad when I lose my car keys.

 

I am sure that  it will  leave her bittter if she dont find it.may she have support.

 

 

I wonder if no one finds it, what will the lottery do with the win money??

 

johnph77's avatarjohnph77

Dunno. Got enough smarts and money to hire a lawyer and enough public interest to have a press conference to try to elicit sympathy. And it's easy enough to recite the winning numbers after the drawing. Now what's going to happen when the real winner emerges, after s/he has taken the time to confer with their lawyers and financial advisors? Can you spell "scam"? Just the cynic in me, I guess.

BTW, if not claimed in 6 months the money is returned to the states participating in the draw.

doubledee32

If she did "Indeed" have the ticket to begin with and lost it then its just like losing money. Now the problem is she doesn't have any "Real" proof that she did indeed buy the ticket to begin with. I mean the media had annouced the numbers and the location before this woman even came forth. I mean I could concout the same story if I wanted to but just for conversation sake lets say that she did indeed lose the ticket. Well the state gets the "money" so there was a winner indeed and that winner is "Ohio'

RJOh's avatarRJOh

Well, the real winner stepped forward and didn't have any the legal hazel as I had thought.  Now those people looking for that ticket can go home to warm-up after spending all that time in the cold looking for a pot of gold.

RJOh

mayan27's avatarmayan27

 

   I never bought the"I lost it story".Dont try to make up unbelievable story this new year.

RJOh's avatarRJOh

This Elecia Battle has another problem if she can't prove that she was the real winner of the lottery or at least prove she made an honest mistake.

Her employer got to be thinking if this lady was willing get a lawyer, alert the police and go public with a scam this size, who will be next?  Will she slip or fall on the job, claim harassment or something else and sue us hoping to get a large settlement?

RJOh

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