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Missing $342.9 million Powerball ticket found on truck floor

By Ben Hooper
The winner of a $343.9 million Powerball jackpot said the ticket apparently fell out of her purse and was later found on the floor of her sister's pickup truck. Photo courtesy of the Iowa Lottery
The winner of a $343.9 million Powerball jackpot said the ticket apparently fell out of her purse and was later found on the floor of her sister's pickup truck. Photo courtesy of the Iowa Lottery

Nov. 7 (UPI) -- An Iowa woman who claimed a $343.9 million Powerball prize admitted she had temporarily lost the ticket until it turned up on the floor of her sister's truck.

Lerynne West, 51, of Redfield, who won half of the jackpot from the Oct. 27 Powerball drawing, told Iowa Lottery officials the ticket she bought from Casey's in Redfield apparently fell out of her purse while she was riding in her sister's truck.

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West said a friend texted her the day after the drawing to tell her there had been a big winner, and she soon discovered that she couldn't find the ticket.

She contacted her sister, who searched the truck and found it on the floor. She sent West a photo of the ticket and the lucky player soon discovered she had matched all six numbers, 8-12-13-19-27 and Powerball 4.

"I told my sister to get in her truck and get that ticket and get up here right now! And, drive slow," West said.

West's ticket earned her a $343.9 million jackpot, the largest in Iowa Lottery history. A second winning ticket sold in New York has yet to be claimed.

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West said she has big plans for her winnings.

"I'm excited to share my winnings with family and friends, plan to purchase a new car, and look forward to a long vacation -- or several. I also plan to give to the causes and organizations important to my family through our newly established Callum Foundation," she said.

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