A 57-year-old man who won the lottery tragically died with the winning ticket still in his wallet.
Gregory Jarvis from Michigan was found dead on a beach in Caseville more than a week after he scooped the $45,000 jackpot.
According to reports, he was at the Blue Water Inn on September 13 when he played the Keno add-on game ‘The Jack.’
Unfortunately, Jarvis was not able to claim his $45,000 right away as he did not have a Social Security card, which is a requirement for winnings above $600.
He had applied for a new card and planned to visit his family with the cash, the owner of the Blue Water Inn told ABC 12.
The 57-year-old came back to the bar and purchased a round of drinks to celebrate his winnings but when he did not show up the following day, the inn’s owner knew something was wrong.
“He wasn’t here all week and we thought, something is wrong,” Dawn Talaski said to the news station.
When he also failed to show up for work, his boss visited the bar to check if he was there.
On September 24, a Caseville resident contacted the police after spotting a body near a boat.
Officers confirmed that the remains were Jarvis’s and the boat was also his.
Police found the winning lottery ticket in his wallet and launched an investigation before it was concluded that no foul play was involved.
According to an autopsy, he hit his head before drowning.
“We are thinking that he was tying up his boat, slipped and fell, hit his head and that’s where he ended up in the water,” said Caseville Police Chief Kyle Romzek.
“At first, we were concerned about it (the lottery ticket) but after the autopsy, and we interviewed people at the bar, he was well-liked around here, he was nice guy, that took it off the table.”
Talaski said Jarvis was “super excited. Very nice guy, he was here everyday.”
“He was planning to take that money and go see his sister and his dad in North Carolina,” she added.
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