Mich. lottery winner charged with welfare fraud found dead

ECORSE, Mich. - A Michigan woman who was cut off from state food assistance after it was revealed that she had won $1 million in the Michigan Lottery was found dead Saturday morning.

Amanda Clayton's body was found in Ecorse, Mich., Saturday morning. Results from the autopsy are pending.

Friends found the troubled lottery winner lying on the bed holding her one and a half year old daughter.

When she went to a home in Ecorse on Friday night to see her kids, the 25-year-old appeared confused, said her friend’s boyfriend.

“She was already in a bad stage. Her legs were shaking. You know she was going through her prayers. She was eating food with the kids,” said the friend’s boyfriend, who did not want to be identified.

He said they were babysitting Clayton’s daughter and young son. It was Clayton’s daughter who couldn’t wake her up.

Police said Clayton died of an apparent drug overdose.

Earlier this year, Clayton was charged with welfare fraud after it was revealed that she received state assistance after winning a lottery jackpot. She later pleaded no contest to the charge and was sentenced to probation.

”So many people tried to take advantage of her, act like they are her friends just to get some money from her. It gets to the point where you start questioning yourself. Are they really my friends or are they using me?” said Clayton’s friend’s boyfriend. “What’s the point of having money if you’re not going to have happiness?”

Clayton did not want the money anymore and bought things for her family and set up college funds for her children. He said she only had $67,000 of her winnings left.

“All the money in the world can’t bring her back,” he said.