Is the fortune Susanne’s? Britain’s $67m lotto ticket ‘destroyed in wash’ mystery deepens

SUSANNE Hinte’s ticket has the winning numbers, but the only thing standing between her and a whopping fortune are three little details.

THE woman at the centre of the UK’s $67 million (£33 million) lotto jackpot mystery has already been bombarded with letters from strangers pestering her for money.

Susanne Hinte, 48, claims she accidentally washed the winning ticket in a pair of jeans and is waiting to hear from UK lotto operator Camelot to see if she is still eligible for the mega payout.

Ms Hinte, who lives in Warndon, Worcester, less than two kilometres from the Ambleside News agency where the golden ticket was sold, is at home today “in floods of tears”.

The divorcee with a heart condition has been inundated with letters from strangers asking for a slice of the huge jackpot — despite the fact she has yet to receive a penny.

The ticket had the winning numbers 26, 27, 46, 47, 52, 58 but water damage had washed away the date, the bar code and the serial number.

The woman told The Times: “I’ve been a nervous wreck.

“I haven’t slept all night. Since I found it in my jeans pocket, my daughter and I have been drying it out with the hairdryer.

“You can see 2016 but not the date.”

She added: “It would have to be one hell of a coincidence.”

Half of the $136 million (£66 million) megajackpot has been claimed by David and Carol Martin from the Scottish borders.

Natu Patel, who runs Ambleside News in the run-down suburb of Warndon on the outskirts of the city, was rumoured to have sold the second jackpot ticket.

Natu, 64, confirmed the numbers on the ticket matched the winning line but the barcode and date were smudged.

He said: “The woman who came in with the ticket has three children, I think they are all grown up.

“I don’t know what she does for a living. All I know is she has blonde hair and is middle-aged.

“She comes in every so often to buy cigarettes and bits and bobs.

“She doesn’t buy a lottery ticket every week but does it when she has a lucky feeling.

Natu added: “She is a pleasant, friendly person and would be a deserving winner.

“She said she believed she had the winning ticket but it had been put through the washing machine.

“I put it into a clear plastic folder to protect it for her from falling apart and advised her to contact Camelot which I am sure she will do.

“I certainly hope she is the winner, it would be wonderful for her.”

The announcement of the winning ticket being bought in Worcester has sparked Lotto fever in the city.

Camelot has refused to speculate on the shop where the winning ticket — worth $67 million (£33 million) — was bought.

Speaking at a press conference in the city today, Andy Carter, winners adviser for Camelot, said: “We are still awaiting the winner of the biggest Lotto jackpot.

“Today is about encouraging people to check their bags, down the side of the sofa, or anywhere where they might have misplaced it.

“We want to unite the life-changing prize with its owner.

“It’s an awful lot of money that will change someone’s life.”

Two tickets matched the winning numbers to share the record-breaking lotto jackpot on Saturday January 9.

Husband and wife David and Carol Martin, both 54, from Hawick in the Borders, came forward as the joint winners last week.

The other winning ticket holder has until Thursday July 7 to claim the cash or it will go to National Lottery projects.

However, it wouldn’t be the biggest amount to go unclaimed: in June 2012, a winning Euromillions ticket bought in the Stevenage and Hitchen area of Hertfordshire went unclaimed.

The jackpot had been $128 million (£63.8million).