North Carolina woman who won share of $564m Powerball jackpot plans to move

• Marie Holmes, 26, from Shalotte, North Carolina, won $118million
• She sacrificed her education to take care of her four young children
• Her father was repeatedly jailed and she has struggled financially
• Family insist money could not have gone to a more deserving person
• Since claiming she was one of three winners, she has gone into hiding

By Paul Thompson In Shallotte, North Carolina

Published: 09:15 EST, 15 February 2015 | Updated: 11:34 EST, 15 February 2015

The single mom of four who claims to have won a share of the $564m Powerball jackpot has led a life of heartbreak and hardship, Daily Mail.com can reveal.

Marie Holmes sacrificed her education to care for her four children and took minimum wage jobs to provide for her family

With little or no help from her fathers' of her four young children she has struggled financially for most of her adult life.

The 26 year old has also seen her father repeatedly jailed and her favorite cousin shot and left paralyzed after a home invasion.

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Hardship: Mother-of-four Marie Holmes, who won $118million on Wednesday sacrificed her education to care for her four children and took minimum wage jobs to provide for her family

Earned: Family members say the money could not have gone to a more deserving person

Family members insist winning a third share of the Powerball jackpot could not have gone to a more deserving person.

'Marie is very grounded and she will know what to do with all that money,' said her uncle William Bryant.

'I'm sure she will want to buy a new home for herself and her kids, but I can't see any extravagant purchases. She's a nice girl who loves her family and loves her church.'

Holmes has yet to officially claim her third share of the prize money estimated to at $188m before taxes.

She was one of three winners who picked the numbers 11,13,25,39,54 and 19 in last week's draw.

The other winners were in Texas and Puerto Rico but they have yet to claim their prize.

North Carolina Lottery officials have confirmed the winning ticket was bought in the town of Shallotte where Holmes lives with her mum Marika and four children.

A lawyer said to represent Holmes has contacted lottery officials in Raleigh to say the ticket holder is taking financial advice before claiming her prize money. Holmes has 180 days to make her claim.

Since revealing she was one of the winners to her local TV station Holmes has gone into hiding.

She has left the $30,000 modular home she shares with her 49-year-old mum and children for a secret location.

Family members who live in the same road describe Holmes as a loving mother who always put her children first.

The four children, Brayden, Charisma, Andrea and Ebony, are aged from seven to seven months.

Home: Since 2010, Holmes has been living in this modular home with her 49-year-old mother Marika. Since winning the jackpot she has gone into hiding

Lucky: The 26-year-old called into this Scotchman in Shalotte, North Carolina, to take her chance at winning a share of the $564million jackpot

Brayden is believed to suffer from cerebral palsy.

Holmes has little contact with the two fathers of her four children. The three eldest are with her former high school sweetheart who now lives in California.

Her youngest child is with a local man but friends say he is not involved in his daughter's life.

Don Bryant, a cousin of Holmes, said she had to quit community college as she found it hard to combine studies with brining up her children.

Her mother Marika looked after the kids while Holmes went to the Brunswick Community College.

He said:' It was hard for her. She wants to do best for the little children but four can be quite a handful. The college thing did not work out, but I am sure she wants to go back to finish her education.'

Bryant, who lives in the same road in a remote part of Shallotte, said his cousin was 'very upset' when he was shot and left paralysed during a home invasion in 2002.

A stripper Bryant and his friends had hired to come to his home in Shallotte tipped off two other friends who later burst into the house demanding money and valuables.

Bryant was shot multiple times and his house set on fire. He managed to escape but was left paralysed from the waist down and is wheelchair bound.

The men who carried out the shooting were later jailed for 26 years.

He said his cousin, who was aged 13 at the time, was very upset by his brush with death.

'Marie lived down the street from me so of course she knew all that was going on and what happened,' he said.

'I still see her often and she is a good mum. Everyone in the family is really excited for her.'

Last year Holmes's father Elroy was jailed for seven years for drug offences. He has a long criminal record and has spent almost ten years in jail and is due to be released in 2020.

Support: Her uncle William Bryant said she does not see Ms Holmes making any extravagant purchases and insists: 'She's a nice girl who loves her family and loves her church '

Family members confirmed to Daily Mail.com that Holmes, known as PJ, was the Powerball winner's father.

Like many in the 3,700 strong community in Shallotte Holmes was a regular churchgoer

Her pastor the Revd Dr Vaughn Cherry said Holmes comes from a tight knit family that has helped her cope with four young children.

'They made sure that she was not alone in bringing up the four children,' he said.

'Marie is a regular at the church and we would see her at bible classes in midweek. She is a devoted mother and we are all delighted that she has won.'

Holmes recently quit her part time jobs at the local McDonalds restaurant and Wal-Mart and was looking for employment when she struck it lucky with the Powerball.

She had called into the Scotchman gas station about a mile from her home to take a chance on the $564m draw.

Her uncle Mark Bryant,53, was working a shift at the gas station and sold her the winning ticket.

Holmes spent $10 on five quick pick numbers with the lottery terminal choosing at the five numbers and Powerball.

Her winning line was the fourth of the 'quick picks'. The odds of winning the Powerball are one in 175million.

The gas station will get $50,000 as a retailer incentive award.

When Holmes realized she had a winning ticket she confessed to screaming so loud that it terrified her children

She told WECT TV6: 'I was screaming in the house. Telling my kids, we made it, and they ran away talking about, 'I scared them.'.

Sacrifice: Don Bryant, a cousin of Holmes, said she had to quit community college as she found it hard to combine studies with bringing up her children

Holmes said becoming an instant multi millionaire would give her the freedom she has never had before.

'I don't have to worry about depending on nobody, I can do it all by myself. I can go back to school and make an even better life for my kids,' Holmes said.

Unlike many of the Powerball winners Holmes said she has not intention of splashing out on luxuries.

She has said a new home is her first priority and she plans to set up college funds for her four children.

Holmes also said she plans to make a donation to her church, The Mount Pleasant Baptist Church.

'I wouldn't have none of it if it wasn't for God,' Holmes said in a TV interview.

'I'm thankful that I can bless my kids with something that I didn't have.'

Holmes said he was ready for such a life-changing amount of money.

When asked if she's ready for the impact the lottery win will have on her life, Holmes said 'I'm ready for it. I'm ready to embrace the change. I'm very grateful for what's about to happen for my family.'

Pastor Cherry said he is thrilled Holmes has spoken about his church but does not know what to expect.

'Marie will be welcome back here whenever she wants. She is a local girl who was born and raised in Shallotte. I don't know if she will stay here or want to move on.'

Friends said Holmes had talked about moving across the country to Seattle where her grandmother Hattie May lives.

' I think Marie was finding it hard to cope and being with her grandmother would have given her some much needed help,' said the friend.

Providing for her family: The lucky lottery winner used to work at Walmart and this McDonald's before she quit to take care of her kids

' She has not had it easy in her life and she has not had a lot of spare money to go around. I am so happy for her. She can give her children what she has never had.'

Since 2010 Holmes has been living in the modular home with her mother Marika.

The shades and blinds on the home were all drawn and a child's red bike left outside the front door such was the haste that the family left after their Powerball win.

Her uncle William, 64, lives opposite but said he had not had a chance to speak with his niece.

He revealed details of some of the hardship Holmes had faced as she struggled to bring up four children as a single mum.

He said she had lived in low income housing with her children but had been forced to move back in with her mother.

Her father, PJ Holmes, was jailed two years ago for five years.

Bryant said: ' It has not been easy for her, but she has had her family behind her and that counts for a lot.'

Mr Bryant said his niece was sensible but was worried that having won so much money – and gone public – that she could fall prey to people who want her money.

'I don't expect to see her back for sometime. I hope she is getting the best advice what to do with the money.

'She's a sensible lady, but there are people out there who will take advantage. When you win millions people come out of the woodwork and they can trick you.

'I hope she is very careful.'