CA woman charged in Wendy's finger case
Police investigating how a human finger ended up in a woman's bowl of Wendy's chili declared the claim a hoax yesterday and arrested her on charges of attempted grand larceny.
The arrest of Anna Ayala at her home outside Las Vegas was the latest twist in a case that has become a late-night punch line, cut into Wendy's sales, and forced the fast-food chain to check its employees for missing fingers.
Ayala, 39, said she bit down on the well-manicured, 1½-inch finger in a mouthful of her steamy chili on March 22 in San Jose. She had hired a lawyer and filed a claim against the Wendy's franchise owner, but dropped the lawsuit threat soon after suspicion fell on her.
When asked whether police considered Ayala's claim a hoax, David Keneller, captain of the San Jose Police Department's investigations bureau, said yes.
''What we have found is that thus far our evidence suggests the truest victims in this case are indeed the Wendy's owner, operators, and employees here in San Jose," Police Chief Rob Davis said.
At a news conference, police declined to say where the finger came from and exactly how the hoax was carried out.
According to a person knowledgeable about the case who spoke on condition of anonymity, the attempted larceny charge stemmed from San Jose police interviews with people who said Ayala described putting a finger in the chili. The source said the interviews were with at least two people who did not know each other and independently told similar stories.
The source added that investigators still did not know where the finger came from.
Ayala, who has a history of bringing claims against big corporations, has denied placing the finger in the chili.
''We're thrilled that an arrest has been made," Tom Mueller, president and chief operating officer of Wendy's North America, said in a statement. During the investigation, police and health officials did not find any missing fingers among workers in the restaurant's supply chain. Wendy's hired private investigators, set up a hot line for tips, and offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the person to whom the finger belonged.
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