JACKPOT WHITTAKER'S GRANDDAUGHTER IS DEAD

(12/21/2004)
By Bob Weaver

Jack Whittaker's 17-year-old granddaughter Brandi Bragg is dead.

While we have written humorously about Jack and his trials and tribulations after winning a $300 million Powerball ticket, the saga gets more bizarre and tragic.

State Police found the body yesterday afternoon in the Scary Creek area of Putnam County. She had been missing more than two weeks.

Brandi's boyfriend, Brandon Crosier, likely gave a clue regarding the location of the body, which was found wrapped in a tarp behind an old van on Crosier's family farm.

Police say they believe Bragg died inside the home and was taken outside. There is speculation that Bragg OD'd on drugs.

The body will undergo an autopsy at the state Medical Examiner's Office.

Whittaker reportedly had purchased Bragg several vehicles.

Whittaker's life has been down hill since he hit the jackpot. Gov. Bob Wise lauded him as a remarkable West Virginia citizen who presented the state in the best light. Whittaker donated some of his gambling earnings to a church in Hinton whose discipline is against gambling. They had no problem accepting his money.

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