<p>NORWALK, Calif. — The winner of a $26 million California Lottery prize may have literally washed the chance of a fortune down the drain.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Nobody did.</p>
<p>Store employee Esperanza Hernandez told the Whittier Daily <a href="https://www.whittierdailynews.com/2021/05/13/woman-may-have-lost-26-million-lotto-prize-in-laundry/">News</a> that a woman came in Wednesday and told workers that she had put the ticket in her pants and it was destroyed in the laundry.</p>
<p>The store’s manager told <a href="https://ktla.com/news/local-news/clock-ticking-on-l-a-county-superlotto-plus-winners-last-day-to-claim-26-million-prize/">KTLA-TV</a> that surveillance video showed the woman who bought the ticket, and she’s known to store workers.</p>
<p>A copy of the surveillance video was turned over to California Lottery officials, the manager said.</p>
<p>The claim will be investigated, lottery spokeswoman Cathy Johnston said.</p>
<p>Lottery officials say someone who believes he or she is 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.</p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>If the prize isn’t claimed, the $19.7 million will go to California public schools.</p>
<p>The store that sold the ticket will receive a $130,000 bonus.</p>
<p>It’s uncommon for large jackpots to go unclaimed, officials said.</p>
<p>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 <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-05-13/26-million-lottery-ticket-norwalk-unclaimed-time-running-out">Times.</a></p>
