One of those sad lottery stories

[GrantDawg]

Powerball Winner Found Days After Death

NEWPORT, Ky. — A woman who won a $65.4 million Powerball jackpot with her husband five years ago was found dead at her home overlooking the Ohio River, where she had apparently been for days before anyone found her, police said.

Virginia Metcalf Merida's son discovered her body Wednesday. Police were awaiting autopsy and toxicology results before announcing a cause of death.

When the woman and her husband, Mack Wayne Metcalf, won the jackpot, they told lottery officials they were going their separate ways to fulfill their dreams. Merida planned to quit her job making corrugated boxes and buy a home. Metcalf, a forklift operator, wanted to start fresh in Australia. He never did.

Metcalf died in 2003 at age 45 while living in a replica of George Washington's Mount Vernon estate built in Corbin, Ky. His death followed multiple run-ins with the law, including a child-support dispute from a previous marriage and a drunken driving charge filed before he hit the jackpot.

Neighbors said Merida stayed out of public view until last December, when a body was found in her 5,000-square foot, custom-built geodesic dome house. Campbell County Deputy Coroner Al Garnick confirmed that the man died of a drug overdose. Official records of the case were unavailable because of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Merida used part of her winnings to buy a second home, but when she tried to evict the resident, the renter sued. A hearing was scheduled for Wednesday.

Carol Terrell Lawson, who is still renting the home, said that she never met Merida in person and only learned of the death after reporters began calling her.

[GrantDawg]

Money can't buy you happiness. Of course if anyone is willing to give me enough money to try, I'll give it my all.

[Rizon]

It's the numbers.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Money can't buy you happiness.

I'm selfish and materialistic. I'm pretty sure it'd buy me happiness.

[kcchief19]

There's not enough information there for me to make the call of sad lottery story or bad luck. Did they both blow through the money and end up with nothing, destroying their families and friends in their path? Or did they simply have some bad experiences and die young not related to the money? It doesn't really say anything about their relative happiness.

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Neighbors said Merida stayed out of public view until last December, when a body was found in her 5,000-square foot, custom-built geodesic dome house.

I love dome-homes. Loren and I would both love to one day own one. A 5,000 square foot one would be insane though, I wonder how long until it's on the market.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by kcchief19

There's not enough information there for me to make the call of sad lottery story or bad luck. Did they both blow through the money and end up with nothing, destroying their families and friends in their path? Or did they simply have some bad experiences and die young not related to the money? It doesn't really say anything about their relative happiness.

Well, one definitely ODed and it looks like the other might as well. I would generally say that is a sign of unhappiness.

[Tekneek]

Most of the people who win the lottery had trouble managing money when they didn't have much. The solution to that was not to suddenly have a lot more of it. Their lives usually spiral out of control in one way or another. I'd like to give it a shot, though.

When the jackpots get up to $100 million+ I buy a ticket or two every now and then, when I think about it. The extent of our impulse purchases we would make is about $5,000 worth of stuff and the rest would go away while we draw an allowance from it that would roughly be 125% of what I currently earn. We couldn't get too crazy with that, but have a few nice vacations and not have to worry about paying the bills.

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Well, one definitely ODed and it looks like the other might as well. I would generally say that is a sign of unhappiness.

Kentucky. The white-trash drug of choice, meth, is a pretty big problem there from what I have heard.

[WrongWay]

"Your sitting on a winning lottery ticket and your too much of a pussy to cash it in"

[stevew]

This article is horribly written....I definately shouldnt have to work this hard to figure out who died when, and who had a dispute with who.

[Tekneek]

Originally Posted by stevew

This article is horribly written....I definately shouldnt have to work this hard to figure out who died when, and who had a dispute with who.

Yeah, exactly. Who was living in which house? Was it the dome or the second house? Who died in the house? Which house was that? Why was the ex-husband living in a replica of George Washington's house when he really wanted to go to Australia?

Kentucky is one crazy place.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by Tekneek

Most of the people who win the lottery had trouble managing money when they didn't have much. The solution to that was not to suddenly have a lot more of it. Their lives usually spiral out of control in one way or another. I'd like to give it a shot, though.

When the jackpots get up to $100 million+ I buy a ticket or two every now and then, when I think about it. The extent of our impulse purchases we would make is about $5,000 worth of stuff and the rest would go away while we draw an allowance from it that would roughly be 125% of what I currently earn. We couldn't get too crazy with that, but have a few nice vacations and not have to worry about paying the bills.

Yeap, I watch this TV special on Lottery winners, they buy, buy, buy, buy, and after a nap, buy. And not to mention they have seem to not have good taste. But honestly, I couldn't feel sorry for them. Problem is, they don't have a sense of what it takes to earn that type of money, and might not be as careful in managing it.

[Galaxy]

Wonder how this guy is doing so far:

http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/...ight=Brad+Duke

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by stevew

This article is horribly written....I definately shouldnt have to work this hard to figure out who died when, and who had a dispute with who.

It's almost as if it was written by Flasch.

[st.cronin]

The numbers are bad, the numbers are bad.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

It's almost as if it was written by Flasch.

Yeah, i was thinking the same thing actually.

[Glengoyne]

Originally Posted by stevew

This article is horribly written....I definately shouldnt have to work this hard to figure out who died when, and who had a dispute with who.

I'm still not sure about it. Its like the William Faulkner school of Journalism.

[Raiders Army]

I'm sure that marriage was really clicking before they won the lottery.

"We won a lot of money!"
"So, what's the first thing you're gonna do?"
"I'm going to Disne...er...get divorced!"

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Money can't buy you happiness. Of course if anyone is willing to give me enough money to try, I'll give it my all.

Word. I think I have the restraint to buy a few nice things and then invest the rest of it and live off the interest...