American washed a $ 26 million winning lottery ticket

A woman claimed that she bought the $ 26 million California lottery winning ticket and that it deteriorated after leaving it in a washed trouser pocket, US media reported.

The winning lottery ticket was purchased at a convenience store in the suburb of Norwalk, Los Angeles, last November.

By a woman who was identified through the security cameras at the CCTV store.

The lottery organizers say the winner must present the winning ticket within 180 days of the draw, which took place on November 14, and that the deadline for claiming the big prize passed last Thursday.

"A woman came last Wednesday claiming to be the owner of the winning ticket, and that the ticket was accidentally damaged in the laundry," Esperanza Hernandez, a store employee in Norwalk, told the Weather Daily News in California.

California lottery spokeswoman Cathy Johnston told the newspaper that the store's footage would not be sufficient to substantiate the woman’s claim, and that "strong and convincing evidence is required that she owns the ticket, however, a copy of the video has been shared with lottery organizers, and the lawsuit is being investigated further."

If there is no recognized grand prize winner, the organizers said in a statement, the money will be distributed to California public schools.