It is a tragic and unfortunate event when someone wins the lottery, only to have their luck turn sour in the worst possible way. Such is the case with Gregory Jarvis, a 57-year-old man from Michigan who hit a $45,000 jackpot, only to be found dead with the winning ticket still in his wallet.

According to Caseville Police Chief Kyle Romzek, Jarvis was found deceased alongside his boat on a private beach in Saginaw Bay on Friday. On September 13, 2021, Jarvis played and won an additional Club Keno game called “The Jack.” However, in order to claim the lottery winnings, Jarvis needed his Social Security card, which he did not have with him at the time and is required for all lottery prizes over $600 in the state of Michigan.

Jarvis applied for a replacement Social Security card, but then disappeared the next week. Authorities found his body washed ashore on a Kaysville beach along Saginaw Bay on Friday, about 10 days after he won the lottery.

During his stay at the inn, Jarvis had won the $45,000 lottery jackpot for his Keno game. He couldn’t get the money right away because he needed to replace his Social Security card. He applied for a replacement card and then began working on his plans to visit family with his lottery winnings.

Blue Water Inn owner Dawn Talasky spoke about Jarvis’ lack of luck and how he talked about his desire to visit loved ones with the money. He even returned to the inn’s tavern, where he won the September 19, 2021 draw, to buy everyone a round of drinks. However, Talasky noticed that Jarvis had not reappeared and his presence as a regular was missed. Eventually, Jarvis’ boss asked him out and he went to the Blue Water Inn, but was unable to be traced on September 22. Just two days later, a Kaysville resident found his body washed ashore on a private beach.

Police confirmed it was Jarvis’ body and that he passed away near his boat. They performed an autopsy on the man and determined that he hit his head before suffocating. However, police later found a winning lottery ticket in his wallet, which was in his pocket. Since he was the real winner of so much money, they started an investigation to see if there might have been foul play involved in his death. After an investigation, they confirmed that his death was accidental.

Kaysville Police Chief Kyle Romzek said, “We think he was tying up his boat, slipped and fell, hit his head, and that’s where he ended up in the water.” Romzek added, “We were worried about it (the lottery) at first, but after the autopsy and we interviewed people at the bar, he was well-liked here, he was a good guy, that took him off the table.”

As for the winning lottery ticket, it was given to Jarvis’ surviving relatives. They will be able to collect the money and do something with it to honor the man who lost his life in the water. During one of her last encounters with Jarvis, bar owner Talaski said, “Someone said someone had just won The Jack and he said ‘Great’ and someone asked him, ‘Was that you?’ and it was. He was super excited. A really good guy. He was here every day… He planned to take that money and go see his sister and dad in North Carolina.”