Mystery surrounds missing lottery ticket controversy in Queens

NEW YORK (WABC) -- There's a lottery mystery. What happened to a winning lottery ticket?

A woman in Queens says she has the receipt to prove she bought it, but she doesn't know where the ticket is.

The clerk at the deli where she bought it says he doesn't have it.

So where is the ticket and her nearly $6,000?

Nerlyne Garcon recently went to a nearby store to wire her mother some money, and while she was there bought a lotto ticket for herself.

Little did she know her $5 investment would yield such a huge return!

"$5,826 off of a $5 ticket you won $5,826," Eyewitness News said.

In fact, she had no idea she was even a winner until she had the ticket checked at a Long Island City deli Thursday.

"I gave it to the deli to check it so when he check it I win," Garcon said.

Nerlyne even showed Eyewitness News the two claim receipts with the winning amount but says the deli clerk never gave back the original ticket. Without it she's now unable to claim her prize, so she went back to the store for answers.

"I went back to him. I said, 'Can I get the ticket please because they need it to prove I can get the money?' He said, 'No, no I gave it to you,'" Garcon said.

"Is your gut telling you that maybe this is an accident, the ticket got lost, or do you think somebody in the deli still has this ticket and they want to cash in on your winnings?" Eyewitness News asked.

"I think it's still there, I think it's a mistake," Garcon said.

A possibility, but a mistake the deli clerk firmly denied.

"100% absolutely we give it back," the clerk said.

"If you don't have it and she doesn't have it, the ticket is somewhere," Eyewitness News said.

"Somewhere else, we have no idea because we give it to her back," the clerk said.

Eyewitness News also reached out to the New York State Gaming Commission who now is investigating this case and put a hold on the winning ticket.

"You would want her to have this money is what you're saying, you want her to find this ticket," Eyewitness News said.

"If I can help her, but I don't have the ticket so what can I do?" the clerk said.