ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The winner of a $1 million jackpot has been found in Western Virginia, but the woman who won it didn’t realize at first just how much her ticket was worth.
Vanessa Hernandez Lopez lives in Broadway, a town in Rockingham County. Her boyfriend bought the ticket for her ahead of the drawing on May 10. When the ticket matched the first five numbers of the drawing, Hernandez Lopez was excited, but uncertain how much she’d won.
At the same time, the Virginia Lottery was searching for the winner of the million-dollar ticket, which was purchased in the town of Timberville.
Hernandez Lopez and her boyfriend took the ticket to a nearby store and had it scanned, confirming they’d won, but they had to take the ticket all the way to Harrisonburg — where the nearest Virginia Lottery customer service counter was located — to reveal the $1 million total.
In a press release, the Virginia Lottery said Hernandez Lopez has “no immediate plans for her winnings.”
Hernandez Lopez was just one of two people nationwide to match five numbers, but the $131 million jackpot — which requires matching all six numbers — is still up for grabs.