Woman Wins $2.5M, Donates Jacket with Winning Lottery Ticket

Mildred Simoneriluto, a 76-year-old resident of Murrysville, Pennsylvania, is in a bind. She accidentally donated a lottery ticket containing the winning numbers for a $2.5-million prize by leaving the ticket in a jacket that was sent to Vietnam Veterans of America.

Woman Who Donated Jacket with Winning Ticket Desperate to Find It

The charity uses donations and redistributes them to people worldwide, with one of the items possibly containing the life-changing ticket. Simoneriluto now has until May 8 to present the lottery with her winning ticket, but chances are that the ticket has already been shipped to a destination beyond the United States.

The case dates back to May 2024, when Simoneriluto purchased the winning ticket from a Shop n’Save in Murrysville only to realize two things soon after – she had won, and the jacket was already gone. Speaking to Pittsburgh’s Action News 4, Simoneriluto pled with the media and anyone listening – “How do I get it back,” referring to the ticket.

Simoneriluto has been busy, though, trying to find the ticket. She spent the past year trying to hunt it down, and although the Pennsylvania Lottery has been sympathetic, the rules clearly state that without an actual ticket, the winner may not claim the prize pool as it would create a dangerous precedent that could be exploited by bad actors.

Simoneriluto’s last resort is to just hope that something “positive” will happen to her that will reunite her with her winning ticket. The story has no other twists or unexpected turns.  

Blind Hope Is Simoneriluto’s Last Resort in the Case

It’s not clear whether Vietnam Veterans of America has been able to offer any help in the matter as well, but Simoneriluto has not commented on the charity’s involvement in any capacity.

Vietnam Veterans of America does not track individual items of clothing it donates either, so tracking the jacket in the pell-mell of clothes going out would be not unlike looking for a needle in a haystack.

With the deadline set for May 8, this may be a reminder to all frequent lottery players who tend to disregard their tickets because they don’t expect them to win.

By one estimate, more than $1 billion’s worth of unclaimed lottery jackpots and tickets expired in 2024, which should alert lottery players that, besides playing, they ought to keep a close watch on their tickets.