Man found dead with winning lottery ticket

Gregory Jarvis won $45,000 before his body washed up on private beach

A Michigan man was found dead on a private beach with a winning lottery ticket in his wallet.

Authorities say that Gregory Jarvis, 57, had won $45,000 playing the state’s Club Keno game in a bar before his body washed up on the beach in Huron County.

Friends of Mr Jarvis said that he had not yet cashed in the lottery ticket because of an issue with his Social Security card, but had been in high spirits after the win, according to ABC12.

The alarm was raised when Mr Jarvis did not show up for work and two days later his body was found by someone walking along the beach on Saginaw Bay.

Kyle Romzek, the police chief in Caseville, Michigan, said that the discovery of the lottery ticket prompted investigators to look carefully into the circumstances surrounding the death.

“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, no foul play suspected,” said Chief Romzek.

And he added: “We were concerned about it (the lottery win) 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.”

The autopsy shows Mr Jarvis had injuries consistent with hitting his head on the boat and drowning.

Friends say that he was planning on using the money to go and visit his father and sister in North Carolina.

The Michigan Lottery Commission says that winners of prizes of more than $600 have to provide a photo identification and a physical copy of their social security card to collect their winnings.

Mr Jarvis had reportedly lost his social security card and had applied for a new one.

His family now has possession of the winning ticket.