Pix E. Dust
Well-Known Member
Ok. Now I see how this goes. But where did she get the finger?
-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
Wendy's diner finds human finger in her chili
- Thread starter cherrynegra
- Start date
Updated 4-9-05
This story keeps getting interesting.
LAS VEGAS
Finger-finder has history of legal battles
Police search home, take Wal-Mart bag, plastic lunch box
- Ryan Kim, Dave Murphy, Alan Gathright, Chronicle Staff Writers
Saturday, April 9, 2005
Anna Ayala (center) talks to a television reporter at her home in Las Vegas, which was thoroughly searched by police. Photo courtesy of KLAS-TV, Eye Witnessnews, Las Vegas.
Las Vegas -- The woman who found a finger in a bowl of chili at a San Jose Wendy's has a history of legal battles, including an earlier claim against a restaurant alleging tainted food sickened her daughter.
Anna Ayala, 39, an unemployed janitorial service operator, has drawn the scrutiny of police in the mysterious finger case. San Jose and local police searched her Las Vegas home from top to bottom Wednesday and left with the daughter's red plastic lunch box that doubled as her makeup kit, along with a Wal-Mart shopping bag, according to the Ayala family.
San Jose police won't discuss details of the probe, saying it could compromise the investigation. Police say they're questioning anyone who can shed light on how the 1 1/2-inch fingertip found its way into Ayala's chili at Wendy's, where she was dining with relatives March 22.
"We're just trying to do a thorough investigation and find out what the truth is," said San Jose police Lt. Stan Faulwetter, head of the financial crimes unit.
But Ayala accuses police of conducting a bizarre witch hunt against her family. She said officers burst into her home with guns drawn during the raid, injuring her 13-year-old daughter's shoulder as they forced people to the ground.
Ken Bono, 24, a family friend who lives with Ayala, said Lt. Faulwetter told him during the search that if he implicated the family, he could receive a $50,000 reward Wendy's is offering to anyone who reveals how the finger got in the chili.
"He said to say that I saw them have (the finger) or bring it," Bono said. "He wanted me to lie or tell the truth to implicate them."
Faulwetter said police did mention the $50,000 reward, but that's all. He denied encouraging Bono to lie.
"This is an ongoing criminal investigation," Faulwetter said. "We have to look at all possibilities and angles to find the truth."
Ayala, who said her sister in San Jose has received death threats over the notorious case, considers the treatment by police to be worse than the original Wendy's incident. "That was just the wrong place at the wrong time, but now I have to deal with this torture," she said. "I have been victimized twice."
Ayala denies media rumors that the finger came from a dead aunt, saying that all of her aunts are alive.
Ayala said what happened Wednesday convinced her that she should sue Wendy's. "I'm really going to fight this now because they hurt my baby," Ayala said, referring to her daughter.
Ayala, who has hired an attorney to explore legal action against Wendy's, is no stranger to legal fights, including ones against restaurants.
When the woman's daughter, Genesis Reyes, contracted salmonella poisoning in 2003 after eating at a Las Vegas El Pollo Loco, the family successfully demanded that the restaurant pay for $30,000 in medical bills she racked up during a three-day hospitalization, said Bono and the woman's son, Guadalupe Reyes. An El Pollo Loco official could not confirm the incident late Friday.
In 2000, she sued a San Jose car dealership and Goodyear Tire Corp., saying she was severely injured after a front tire fell off her GMC Sierra sport utility vehicle as she drove on Interstate 880 in San Jose in 1999. She also sued General Motors Corp.
A judge later dismissed the case, but not before Ayala repeatedly changed attorneys. One of her lawyers accused her of threatening him, even though he'd won her a settlement in a prior lawsuit.
"Despite this, you stated that you were going to get me -- whatever that means,'' San Francisco attorney Ira Freydkis wrote Ayala in January 2001. Freydkis suggested he withdraw as her counsel, because she had stated she was "unhappy" with his work, according to the letter filed in court documents.
In 1999, Ayala filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against La Oferta Review, a San Jose Spanish-language newspaper, claiming a man who worked there exposed himself to her the first day she began work as a bilingual receptionist. The newspaper claimed the man, Juan Carlos Brown, was just a tenant in its building, but Ayala reached an out-of-court settlement in 2002.
Ayala and her loved ones reject claims that she concocted the chili- finger incident to bring a lawsuit against Wendy's.
The Texas native, who lived in San Jose for more than a decade, said she's made a good living working at several janitorial firms and ran her own in the South Bay. She moved three years ago to Las Vegas, where she lives with her two children.
Although Ayala has been out of work for a year because of a foot injury, she said she is financially sound and recently refinanced her two-story, four- bedroom home on the southeast outskirts of Las Vegas, which she said is worth $500,000.
Guadalupe Reyes, 18, said his mom is well-off and is not motivated by greed.
"What people are trying to say is that she's a con artist. But that's not true,'' he said. "If she's about lawsuits, why would she pay $20,000 cash for this truck?'' he added, pointing to a new Dodge pickup. "My mom's wealthy.''
Asked about reports that she's litigious, Ayala said: "All these people are saying stuff, but they don't know anything about me. The truth will come out.'' Then she added that her attorney has told her to stop talking to the news media.
Meanwhile, Wendy's spokesman Bob Bertini said police hadn't been in touch with the chain's officials about the search. He added that Wendy's has received phone calls since it began offering the $50,000 reward Thursday to the first person who provides "verifiable" information on how the finger got in the chili.
Bertini did not want to say how many calls have been received, but said Wendy's is passing along information from some of the tips to San Jose police.
Santa Clara County Medical Examiner Joseph O'Hara said he's anticipating completion soon of DNA testing by state officials that could help confirm the person who lost the finger. Authorities have also sent a portion of the digit to a Kansas forensic food laboratory that could confirm by next week whether or not the finger was cooked in the chili.
While investigators have obtained a print from the fingertip, its quality is not good enough to run through databases for a match. But he added officials could visually match the fingerprint if they had a person the digit might belong too.
This story keeps getting interesting.
LAS VEGAS
Finger-finder has history of legal battles
Police search home, take Wal-Mart bag, plastic lunch box
- Ryan Kim, Dave Murphy, Alan Gathright, Chronicle Staff Writers
Saturday, April 9, 2005
Anna Ayala (center) talks to a television reporter at her home in Las Vegas, which was thoroughly searched by police. Photo courtesy of KLAS-TV, Eye Witnessnews, Las Vegas.
Las Vegas -- The woman who found a finger in a bowl of chili at a San Jose Wendy's has a history of legal battles, including an earlier claim against a restaurant alleging tainted food sickened her daughter.
Anna Ayala, 39, an unemployed janitorial service operator, has drawn the scrutiny of police in the mysterious finger case. San Jose and local police searched her Las Vegas home from top to bottom Wednesday and left with the daughter's red plastic lunch box that doubled as her makeup kit, along with a Wal-Mart shopping bag, according to the Ayala family.
San Jose police won't discuss details of the probe, saying it could compromise the investigation. Police say they're questioning anyone who can shed light on how the 1 1/2-inch fingertip found its way into Ayala's chili at Wendy's, where she was dining with relatives March 22.
"We're just trying to do a thorough investigation and find out what the truth is," said San Jose police Lt. Stan Faulwetter, head of the financial crimes unit.
But Ayala accuses police of conducting a bizarre witch hunt against her family. She said officers burst into her home with guns drawn during the raid, injuring her 13-year-old daughter's shoulder as they forced people to the ground.
Ken Bono, 24, a family friend who lives with Ayala, said Lt. Faulwetter told him during the search that if he implicated the family, he could receive a $50,000 reward Wendy's is offering to anyone who reveals how the finger got in the chili.
"He said to say that I saw them have (the finger) or bring it," Bono said. "He wanted me to lie or tell the truth to implicate them."
Faulwetter said police did mention the $50,000 reward, but that's all. He denied encouraging Bono to lie.
"This is an ongoing criminal investigation," Faulwetter said. "We have to look at all possibilities and angles to find the truth."
Ayala, who said her sister in San Jose has received death threats over the notorious case, considers the treatment by police to be worse than the original Wendy's incident. "That was just the wrong place at the wrong time, but now I have to deal with this torture," she said. "I have been victimized twice."
Ayala denies media rumors that the finger came from a dead aunt, saying that all of her aunts are alive.
Ayala said what happened Wednesday convinced her that she should sue Wendy's. "I'm really going to fight this now because they hurt my baby," Ayala said, referring to her daughter.
Ayala, who has hired an attorney to explore legal action against Wendy's, is no stranger to legal fights, including ones against restaurants.
When the woman's daughter, Genesis Reyes, contracted salmonella poisoning in 2003 after eating at a Las Vegas El Pollo Loco, the family successfully demanded that the restaurant pay for $30,000 in medical bills she racked up during a three-day hospitalization, said Bono and the woman's son, Guadalupe Reyes. An El Pollo Loco official could not confirm the incident late Friday.
In 2000, she sued a San Jose car dealership and Goodyear Tire Corp., saying she was severely injured after a front tire fell off her GMC Sierra sport utility vehicle as she drove on Interstate 880 in San Jose in 1999. She also sued General Motors Corp.
A judge later dismissed the case, but not before Ayala repeatedly changed attorneys. One of her lawyers accused her of threatening him, even though he'd won her a settlement in a prior lawsuit.
"Despite this, you stated that you were going to get me -- whatever that means,'' San Francisco attorney Ira Freydkis wrote Ayala in January 2001. Freydkis suggested he withdraw as her counsel, because she had stated she was "unhappy" with his work, according to the letter filed in court documents.
In 1999, Ayala filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against La Oferta Review, a San Jose Spanish-language newspaper, claiming a man who worked there exposed himself to her the first day she began work as a bilingual receptionist. The newspaper claimed the man, Juan Carlos Brown, was just a tenant in its building, but Ayala reached an out-of-court settlement in 2002.
Ayala and her loved ones reject claims that she concocted the chili- finger incident to bring a lawsuit against Wendy's.
The Texas native, who lived in San Jose for more than a decade, said she's made a good living working at several janitorial firms and ran her own in the South Bay. She moved three years ago to Las Vegas, where she lives with her two children.
Although Ayala has been out of work for a year because of a foot injury, she said she is financially sound and recently refinanced her two-story, four- bedroom home on the southeast outskirts of Las Vegas, which she said is worth $500,000.
Guadalupe Reyes, 18, said his mom is well-off and is not motivated by greed.
"What people are trying to say is that she's a con artist. But that's not true,'' he said. "If she's about lawsuits, why would she pay $20,000 cash for this truck?'' he added, pointing to a new Dodge pickup. "My mom's wealthy.''
Asked about reports that she's litigious, Ayala said: "All these people are saying stuff, but they don't know anything about me. The truth will come out.'' Then she added that her attorney has told her to stop talking to the news media.
Meanwhile, Wendy's spokesman Bob Bertini said police hadn't been in touch with the chain's officials about the search. He added that Wendy's has received phone calls since it began offering the $50,000 reward Thursday to the first person who provides "verifiable" information on how the finger got in the chili.
Bertini did not want to say how many calls have been received, but said Wendy's is passing along information from some of the tips to San Jose police.
Santa Clara County Medical Examiner Joseph O'Hara said he's anticipating completion soon of DNA testing by state officials that could help confirm the person who lost the finger. Authorities have also sent a portion of the digit to a Kansas forensic food laboratory that could confirm by next week whether or not the finger was cooked in the chili.
While investigators have obtained a print from the fingertip, its quality is not good enough to run through databases for a match. But he added officials could visually match the fingerprint if they had a person the digit might belong too.
Pix E. Dust
Well-Known Member
Has anyone heard any more on this? What a truly bizarre story!
The finger tip was sent off for DNA testing, which takes at least a couple of weeks. Then the police have to try and match the DNA; the "victim" had a death in the family recently, so that's one theory. 
Another source might be a hospital. I suspect they are looking for any links between the victim and hospital employees.
We may never know the source.
Another source might be a hospital. I suspect they are looking for any links between the victim and hospital employees.
We may never know the source.
Woman Won't Sue Wendy's for Alleged Finger
Woman Won't Sue Wendy's for Alleged Finger
-
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
(04-13) 05:13 PDT San Jose, Calif. (AP) --
A woman who claimed she scooped up a human finger along with her chili at a Wendy's restaurant has decided not to sue the fast-food chain.
Anna Ayala dropped her claim because it "has caused her great emotional distress and continues to be difficult emotionally," said her attorney, Jeffrey Janoff.
Ayala, 39, claimed she found the 1 1/2-inch long fingertip on March 22 while dining at a Wendy's restaurant in San Jose. She later filed a claim with the franchise owner, Fresno-based JEM Management Corp., which her attorney had said was the first step before filing a lawsuit.
Phone calls to Ayala's house went unanswered Tuesday. Investigators searched her Las Vegas home last week as part of their investigation into how a finger ended up in the chili.
Wendy's spokesman Denny Lynch declined to comment on Ayala's decision to drop the lawsuit but said a reward hot line to receive tips will remain open. Wendy's has offered $50,000 to the first person who can provide verifiable information that identifies the origin of the finger.
"It's very important to us to find out what really happened at the restaurant," Lynch said. "We will continue to fully cooperate with the police investigation."
Wendy's maintains the finger did not enter the food chain in its ingredients. None of the employees at the San Jose store had lost any fingers, and no suppliers of Wendy's ingredients reported any hand or finger injuries, the company said.
The Santa Clara County coroner's office used a partial fingerprint to search for a match in an electronic database but came up empty. DNA testing is still being conducted on the finger.
Woman Won't Sue Wendy's for Alleged Finger
-
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
(04-13) 05:13 PDT San Jose, Calif. (AP) --
A woman who claimed she scooped up a human finger along with her chili at a Wendy's restaurant has decided not to sue the fast-food chain.
Anna Ayala dropped her claim because it "has caused her great emotional distress and continues to be difficult emotionally," said her attorney, Jeffrey Janoff.
Ayala, 39, claimed she found the 1 1/2-inch long fingertip on March 22 while dining at a Wendy's restaurant in San Jose. She later filed a claim with the franchise owner, Fresno-based JEM Management Corp., which her attorney had said was the first step before filing a lawsuit.
Phone calls to Ayala's house went unanswered Tuesday. Investigators searched her Las Vegas home last week as part of their investigation into how a finger ended up in the chili.
Wendy's spokesman Denny Lynch declined to comment on Ayala's decision to drop the lawsuit but said a reward hot line to receive tips will remain open. Wendy's has offered $50,000 to the first person who can provide verifiable information that identifies the origin of the finger.
"It's very important to us to find out what really happened at the restaurant," Lynch said. "We will continue to fully cooperate with the police investigation."
Wendy's maintains the finger did not enter the food chain in its ingredients. None of the employees at the San Jose store had lost any fingers, and no suppliers of Wendy's ingredients reported any hand or finger injuries, the company said.
The Santa Clara County coroner's office used a partial fingerprint to search for a match in an electronic database but came up empty. DNA testing is still being conducted on the finger.
Pix E. Dust
Well-Known Member
It's for the best that she dropped the suit now. I mean, it would probably be difficult to persue the issue FROM JAIL! 
I still can't believe someone would do this or not notice a finger in their chili before taking a big ol' bite.
I still can't believe someone would do this or not notice a finger in their chili before taking a big ol' bite.
wannab@dis
Well-Known Member
TAC said:
I believe you are correct! :lol:
TAC
New Member
More news:
New twist on finger found in Wendy's chili
LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) -- A woman who lost part of her finger in a leopard attack believes it was her body part that allegedly showed up a month later in a bowl of fast-food chili in California.
A lawyer for Sandy Allman, 59, said she wants to participate in any DNA testing of the finger, which she said she last saw packed in ice in a Las Vegas emergency room. Doctors told her it could not be reattached, and she does not know what happened to it after that, lawyer Philip Sheldon said.
The hospital said it cannot account for the 3/4-inch fingertip, which Allman lost February 23 in the attack at an exotic animal compound at her home in rural Pahrump, about 60 miles west of Las Vegas.
Las Vegas resident Anna Ayala claimed she found a 11/2-inch fingertip on March 22 while eating at a Wendy's in San Jose, California.
The two women have "absolutely no connection," Sheldon said.
He said Allman realizes her lost fingertip is only half as long as the one that Ayala claims to have found.
San Jose police said DNA tests would be taken to determine the finger's rightful owner.
Ayala, 39, was not considered a suspect, San Jose police spokeswoman Gina Tepoorten said.
Ayala was visiting relatives in San Jose on Wednesday and could not be reached for comment. Her son, Guadalupe Reyes, 18, told The Associated Press that Ayala doesn't know Allman.
Ayala had filed a claim with the Wendy's franchise owner over her alleged discovery, but her attorney Jeffrey Janoff said Wednesday that she had decided not to pursue a lawsuit because the scrutiny by police and reporters had been "very difficult for her emotionally."
Court records show Ayala has a history of making claims against corporations, including a former employer, General Motors and a fast-food restaurant.
Wendy's maintains the finger did not enter the food in its ingredients. It has offered a $50,000 reward in the case and was keeping open a hot line for tips, spokesman Denny Lynch said.
Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center confirmed Allman's treatment after the leopard attack, but said there was no record of the fingertip in the Pathology Department, where it normally would have been taken.
There was also no record of Ayala as a patient or employee, spokeswoman Glenda McCartney said.
New twist on finger found in Wendy's chili
LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) -- A woman who lost part of her finger in a leopard attack believes it was her body part that allegedly showed up a month later in a bowl of fast-food chili in California.
A lawyer for Sandy Allman, 59, said she wants to participate in any DNA testing of the finger, which she said she last saw packed in ice in a Las Vegas emergency room. Doctors told her it could not be reattached, and she does not know what happened to it after that, lawyer Philip Sheldon said.
The hospital said it cannot account for the 3/4-inch fingertip, which Allman lost February 23 in the attack at an exotic animal compound at her home in rural Pahrump, about 60 miles west of Las Vegas.
Las Vegas resident Anna Ayala claimed she found a 11/2-inch fingertip on March 22 while eating at a Wendy's in San Jose, California.
The two women have "absolutely no connection," Sheldon said.
He said Allman realizes her lost fingertip is only half as long as the one that Ayala claims to have found.
San Jose police said DNA tests would be taken to determine the finger's rightful owner.
Ayala, 39, was not considered a suspect, San Jose police spokeswoman Gina Tepoorten said.
Ayala was visiting relatives in San Jose on Wednesday and could not be reached for comment. Her son, Guadalupe Reyes, 18, told The Associated Press that Ayala doesn't know Allman.
Ayala had filed a claim with the Wendy's franchise owner over her alleged discovery, but her attorney Jeffrey Janoff said Wednesday that she had decided not to pursue a lawsuit because the scrutiny by police and reporters had been "very difficult for her emotionally."
Court records show Ayala has a history of making claims against corporations, including a former employer, General Motors and a fast-food restaurant.
Wendy's maintains the finger did not enter the food in its ingredients. It has offered a $50,000 reward in the case and was keeping open a hot line for tips, spokesman Denny Lynch said.
Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center confirmed Allman's treatment after the leopard attack, but said there was no record of the fingertip in the Pathology Department, where it normally would have been taken.
There was also no record of Ayala as a patient or employee, spokeswoman Glenda McCartney said.
Oooops!! It's not my finger!!
SAN JOSE
Woman now says finger in chili not hers
She lost digit to leopard kept outside her home in Nevada
- Ryan Kim, Maria Alicia Gaura, Chronicle Staff Writers
Friday, April 15, 2005
A Nevada woman who fueled speculation that one of her fingers ended up in a bowl of chili at a San Jose Wendy's after it was bit off by a leopard believes her digit is too small to be the one that has garnered worldwide attention, her attorney said Thursday.
The tip of one of Sandy Allman's fingers was chomped Feb. 23 by a leopard kept outside her home in rural Pahrump, about an hour's drive from Las Vegas. She last saw her finger at a Las Vegas hospital, where doctors were unable to reattach it.
This week, Allman, through her attorney, said her finger seemed to match a digit that a Las Vegas woman said she had found in her chili at a San Jose Wendy's. Given another day to reflect, Allman is backing off that possibility, saying she was influenced to do so by quotes from the police pointing out the size difference between the two fingers.
"She has changed her mind. (Allman) said, 'There is a certain size discrepancy so I guess that's not my finger,' '' her attorney, Philip Sheldon, said Thursday. "She said if the police don't think it's the same, and they haven't asked yet for DNA, it probably isn't the same."
But authorities investigating the Wendy's finger have not ruled out a possible link between Allman's three-quarter-inch fingertip and a 1 1/2-inch fingertip that Las Vegas resident Anna Ayala says she found during her visit to the San Jose Wendy's.
"Right now, because it's an open investigation, anything is possible," said San Jose Police Officer Enrique Garcia. "We are certainly not ruling (Allman) out; no, not at all."
In Nye County, Nev., where Allman lives, Sheriff Tony DeMeo said a visual comparison of pictures of the two fingers suggested that the finger found at Wendy's appeared to be about a half-inch longer than Allman's finger tip. He said he was confident there was no link between her and Ayala.
"We can't say this is the same finger one way or another, but the only thing we can truthfully say is there is no connection between (Allman) and the person who found the finger in her food," DeMeo said.
After the leopard bite, Allman was rushed to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas. Once she learned the finger could not be reattached, Sheldon said, Allman left it in a bag in the emergency room. "It's 100 percent sure that Sandra Allman didn't leave that hospital with that finger, and it's corroborated by another friend who was there the whole time," Sheldon said.
Hospital officials released a short statement Thursday acknowledging that Allman had been treated in the emergency room. A hospital spokeswoman declined to comment further, citing privacy concerns, except to say there was no record of Ayala's ever being treated or employed at the hospital.
Ayala, reached at her home Thursday, said neither had she planted the finger nor was there any connection between her and Allman or the hospital. She said she had withdrawn her claim against Wendy's on Monday after the intense media and police scrutiny began taking an emotional toll on her family.
"People can say what they want and destroy my family, but it's not true," Ayala said. "This is really ruining my kids and me and dragging my family through the mud. It's killing us."
The saga began at the Monterey Road Wendy's when Ayala says she bit into a finger while eating a bowl of chili. Ayala later filed a claim against the franchise owner.
The case took a sharp turn April 6 when police served a search warrant at Ayala's Las Vegas home. Authorities have not disclosed what they were searching for.
Santa Clara County's attempt to trace the ingredients in Wendy's chili back to their manufacturing source has not yet turned up anything that might explain the finger's presence.
"There are still a couple of loose ends," said Ben Gale, director of the county's Environmental Resources Agency. "But it's mostly done. We just haven't found anything," despite tracing items like the chili beans "back to the production line on the day these beans were canned."
The weird tale has drawn intense media attention, and San Jose police have been inundated with calls from reporters around the globe.
The Police Department's press information officers, who are somewhat harried even on a good day, began warning reporters Thursday that media calls were now likely to go unanswered. Instead, they promised to issue news releases if anything breaks.
"The investigation is ongoing, and there are a lot of things we can't discuss," said San Jose officer Garcia. "There is nothing new for us to provide to the public. (But) we are being overwhelmed by calls."
The lack of solid developments has most likely only drawn more attention to the mystery, with updates in newspapers from as far afield as Taipei and New Zealand.
SAN JOSE
Woman now says finger in chili not hers
She lost digit to leopard kept outside her home in Nevada
- Ryan Kim, Maria Alicia Gaura, Chronicle Staff Writers
Friday, April 15, 2005
A Nevada woman who fueled speculation that one of her fingers ended up in a bowl of chili at a San Jose Wendy's after it was bit off by a leopard believes her digit is too small to be the one that has garnered worldwide attention, her attorney said Thursday.
The tip of one of Sandy Allman's fingers was chomped Feb. 23 by a leopard kept outside her home in rural Pahrump, about an hour's drive from Las Vegas. She last saw her finger at a Las Vegas hospital, where doctors were unable to reattach it.
This week, Allman, through her attorney, said her finger seemed to match a digit that a Las Vegas woman said she had found in her chili at a San Jose Wendy's. Given another day to reflect, Allman is backing off that possibility, saying she was influenced to do so by quotes from the police pointing out the size difference between the two fingers.
"She has changed her mind. (Allman) said, 'There is a certain size discrepancy so I guess that's not my finger,' '' her attorney, Philip Sheldon, said Thursday. "She said if the police don't think it's the same, and they haven't asked yet for DNA, it probably isn't the same."
But authorities investigating the Wendy's finger have not ruled out a possible link between Allman's three-quarter-inch fingertip and a 1 1/2-inch fingertip that Las Vegas resident Anna Ayala says she found during her visit to the San Jose Wendy's.
"Right now, because it's an open investigation, anything is possible," said San Jose Police Officer Enrique Garcia. "We are certainly not ruling (Allman) out; no, not at all."
In Nye County, Nev., where Allman lives, Sheriff Tony DeMeo said a visual comparison of pictures of the two fingers suggested that the finger found at Wendy's appeared to be about a half-inch longer than Allman's finger tip. He said he was confident there was no link between her and Ayala.
"We can't say this is the same finger one way or another, but the only thing we can truthfully say is there is no connection between (Allman) and the person who found the finger in her food," DeMeo said.
After the leopard bite, Allman was rushed to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas. Once she learned the finger could not be reattached, Sheldon said, Allman left it in a bag in the emergency room. "It's 100 percent sure that Sandra Allman didn't leave that hospital with that finger, and it's corroborated by another friend who was there the whole time," Sheldon said.
Hospital officials released a short statement Thursday acknowledging that Allman had been treated in the emergency room. A hospital spokeswoman declined to comment further, citing privacy concerns, except to say there was no record of Ayala's ever being treated or employed at the hospital.
Ayala, reached at her home Thursday, said neither had she planted the finger nor was there any connection between her and Allman or the hospital. She said she had withdrawn her claim against Wendy's on Monday after the intense media and police scrutiny began taking an emotional toll on her family.
"People can say what they want and destroy my family, but it's not true," Ayala said. "This is really ruining my kids and me and dragging my family through the mud. It's killing us."
The saga began at the Monterey Road Wendy's when Ayala says she bit into a finger while eating a bowl of chili. Ayala later filed a claim against the franchise owner.
The case took a sharp turn April 6 when police served a search warrant at Ayala's Las Vegas home. Authorities have not disclosed what they were searching for.
Santa Clara County's attempt to trace the ingredients in Wendy's chili back to their manufacturing source has not yet turned up anything that might explain the finger's presence.
"There are still a couple of loose ends," said Ben Gale, director of the county's Environmental Resources Agency. "But it's mostly done. We just haven't found anything," despite tracing items like the chili beans "back to the production line on the day these beans were canned."
The weird tale has drawn intense media attention, and San Jose police have been inundated with calls from reporters around the globe.
The Police Department's press information officers, who are somewhat harried even on a good day, began warning reporters Thursday that media calls were now likely to go unanswered. Instead, they promised to issue news releases if anything breaks.
"The investigation is ongoing, and there are a lot of things we can't discuss," said San Jose officer Garcia. "There is nothing new for us to provide to the public. (But) we are being overwhelmed by calls."
The lack of solid developments has most likely only drawn more attention to the mystery, with updates in newspapers from as far afield as Taipei and New Zealand.
Digit found in chili still a mystery -- reward now $100,000
SAN JOSE
Leopard-bitten finger no match for Wendy's
Digit found in chili still a mystery -- reward now $100,000
- Ryan Kim, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, April 16, 2005
The mystery of how a human finger ended up in a bowl of chili at a San Jose Wendy's took another turn Friday when authorities said a comparison with a fingertip chewed off by a leopard in Nevada ruled out a match.
Speculation had swirled after a tipster called Wendy's on Tuesday about a possible link between the finger a Wendy's diner said she had found March 22 and Sandy Allman, 59, of Pahrump, Nev. Allman lost the tip of a finger Feb. 23 when a leopard kept on her rural property attacked her.
The woman who reported finding the finger, Anna Ayala, lives in Las Vegas, about an hour's drive from Pahrump. Allman said she had last seen her fingertip at a Las Vegas hospital after doctors told her they were unable to reattach the digit.
On Friday afternoon, the sheriff's office in Nye County, Nev., sent a copy of Allman's fingerprints to San Jose police -- who promptly ruled out any link.
"We had our latent print examiners analyze the fingerprints from the lady in Nevada, and we determined it's not a match to the finger found at the Wendy's restaurant," said San Jose police Officer Enrique Garcia. "Now, we just need to continue with the investigation. In any kind of whodunit, you look at your options, and you eliminate your leads, and this is one we've eliminated."
Allman, through her attorney, expressed relief at the news. She said being thrust into the notorious case took a mental toll on her and disrupted her life.
"She's glad that the ordeal is over, and we're pleased that she's exonerated," said the attorney, Philip Sheldon. "Both of us hope that Wendy's can find out whose finger it is and how it got into the chili."
While dining on chili at a Monterey Road Wendy's, the 39-year-old Ayala said she bit down on a 1 1/2-inch fingertip. The case has drawn media attention from around the world and, according to Wendy's officials, led to a sharp drop in sales.
On Friday, Wendy's doubled its reward to $100,000 for tips that lead to the finger's original owner.
"We've had $50,000 out there, and we've got some information, but we feel there is still more information out there that for some reason hasn't come forward," said Steve Jay, a regional Wendy's spokesman. "We know that someone knows what has transpired here, and we want to get to the truth."
Tom Mueller, Wendy's president and chief operating officer, said in a statement the company had conducted a thorough internal investigation that included lie-detector tests on employees. He said he was confident the finger did not come from any of its employees or its suppliers.
"Our independent franchisees and their employees in the San Francisco Bay Area are the real victims," Mueller said. "They have been especially hard hit by the negative publicity caused by the incident. They've done nothing wrong, yet they are paying a severe price with sales down significantly in the area."
He said some local franchises had been forced to lay off employees because of slow sales and scale back hours for many other workers. The company ran its first newspaper advertisements Friday announcing the company's reward and tip line.
San Jose police, meanwhile, said there were no other new developments in the case. Authorities were pleased that Wendy's boosted the reward and hope it will prompt more leads.
"We know that people have knowledge about what happened, and somehow we need to motivate these people to come forward with information to resolve this case," Officer Garcia said.
While police have not named any suspects in the case, investigators conducted an unannounced search of Ayala's Las Vegas home April 6. Ayala, who has steadfastly maintained she did not plant the finger, filed a claim against Wendy's but withdrew it Tuesday, saying the media and police scrutiny was causing her family "emotional distress."
"People can say what they want and destroy my family, but it's not true," Ayala said Thursday. "This is really ruining my kids and me and dragging my family through the mud. It's killing us."
SAN JOSE
Leopard-bitten finger no match for Wendy's
Digit found in chili still a mystery -- reward now $100,000
- Ryan Kim, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, April 16, 2005
The mystery of how a human finger ended up in a bowl of chili at a San Jose Wendy's took another turn Friday when authorities said a comparison with a fingertip chewed off by a leopard in Nevada ruled out a match.
Speculation had swirled after a tipster called Wendy's on Tuesday about a possible link between the finger a Wendy's diner said she had found March 22 and Sandy Allman, 59, of Pahrump, Nev. Allman lost the tip of a finger Feb. 23 when a leopard kept on her rural property attacked her.
The woman who reported finding the finger, Anna Ayala, lives in Las Vegas, about an hour's drive from Pahrump. Allman said she had last seen her fingertip at a Las Vegas hospital after doctors told her they were unable to reattach the digit.
On Friday afternoon, the sheriff's office in Nye County, Nev., sent a copy of Allman's fingerprints to San Jose police -- who promptly ruled out any link.
"We had our latent print examiners analyze the fingerprints from the lady in Nevada, and we determined it's not a match to the finger found at the Wendy's restaurant," said San Jose police Officer Enrique Garcia. "Now, we just need to continue with the investigation. In any kind of whodunit, you look at your options, and you eliminate your leads, and this is one we've eliminated."
Allman, through her attorney, expressed relief at the news. She said being thrust into the notorious case took a mental toll on her and disrupted her life.
"She's glad that the ordeal is over, and we're pleased that she's exonerated," said the attorney, Philip Sheldon. "Both of us hope that Wendy's can find out whose finger it is and how it got into the chili."
While dining on chili at a Monterey Road Wendy's, the 39-year-old Ayala said she bit down on a 1 1/2-inch fingertip. The case has drawn media attention from around the world and, according to Wendy's officials, led to a sharp drop in sales.
On Friday, Wendy's doubled its reward to $100,000 for tips that lead to the finger's original owner.
"We've had $50,000 out there, and we've got some information, but we feel there is still more information out there that for some reason hasn't come forward," said Steve Jay, a regional Wendy's spokesman. "We know that someone knows what has transpired here, and we want to get to the truth."
Tom Mueller, Wendy's president and chief operating officer, said in a statement the company had conducted a thorough internal investigation that included lie-detector tests on employees. He said he was confident the finger did not come from any of its employees or its suppliers.
"Our independent franchisees and their employees in the San Francisco Bay Area are the real victims," Mueller said. "They have been especially hard hit by the negative publicity caused by the incident. They've done nothing wrong, yet they are paying a severe price with sales down significantly in the area."
He said some local franchises had been forced to lay off employees because of slow sales and scale back hours for many other workers. The company ran its first newspaper advertisements Friday announcing the company's reward and tip line.
San Jose police, meanwhile, said there were no other new developments in the case. Authorities were pleased that Wendy's boosted the reward and hope it will prompt more leads.
"We know that people have knowledge about what happened, and somehow we need to motivate these people to come forward with information to resolve this case," Officer Garcia said.
While police have not named any suspects in the case, investigators conducted an unannounced search of Ayala's Las Vegas home April 6. Ayala, who has steadfastly maintained she did not plant the finger, filed a claim against Wendy's but withdrew it Tuesday, saying the media and police scrutiny was causing her family "emotional distress."
"People can say what they want and destroy my family, but it's not true," Ayala said Thursday. "This is really ruining my kids and me and dragging my family through the mud. It's killing us."
wannab@dis
Well-Known Member
Wendy's Finger Finder Arrested
Wendy's Finger Finder Arrested
Friday, April 22, 2005
SAN FRANCISCO — The woman who claimed she found a well-manicured finger in her bowl of Wendy's chili last month was arrested at her home Thursday night, police said.
Police in San Jose, Calif. — the site of the Wendy's in question — announced the arrest of Anna Ayala in Las Vegas. Police spokesman Enrique Garcia said authorities would not give any details until a news conference Friday.
Ayala's 18-year-old son, Guadalupe Reyes, said he had gone to the store around 9 p.m. when he got a phone call from a friend who was back at the house.
"We rushed back and she was already gone," Reyes said.
Reyes said he had no other details and was waiting to hear from his mother.
The arrest is the latest twist in the bizarre case about how the 11/2-inch finger tip ended up in a bowl of fast-food chili.
Ayala told police she found the finger March 22 while eating at a Wendy's in San Jose. She said she intended to sue but relented, claiming the publicity was too emotionally taxing.
When police and health officials failed to find any missing digits among the workers involved in the restaurant's supply chain, suspicion fell on Ayala, whose story has become a late-night punch line.
Ayala has a litigious history. She has filed claims against several corporations, including a former employer and General Motors, though it is unclear from court records whether she received any money. She said she got $30,000 from El Pollo Loco after her 13-year-old daughter got sick at one of the chain's Las Vegas-area restaurants. El Pollo Loco officials say she did not get a dime.
Earlier Thursday, Ohio-based Wendy's International Inc. announced it had ended its internal investigation, saying it could find no credible link between the finger and the restaurant chain.
All the employees at the San Jose store were found to have all their fingers, and no suppliers reported any hand or finger injuries, the company said.
Sales have dropped at franchises in Northern California, forcing layoffs and reduced hours, the company said. Wendy's also has hired private investigators, set up a hot line for tips and offered a $100,000 reward for anyone who provides information leading to the finger's original owner.
Wendy's Finger Finder Arrested
Friday, April 22, 2005
SAN FRANCISCO — The woman who claimed she found a well-manicured finger in her bowl of Wendy's chili last month was arrested at her home Thursday night, police said.
Police in San Jose, Calif. — the site of the Wendy's in question — announced the arrest of Anna Ayala in Las Vegas. Police spokesman Enrique Garcia said authorities would not give any details until a news conference Friday.
Ayala's 18-year-old son, Guadalupe Reyes, said he had gone to the store around 9 p.m. when he got a phone call from a friend who was back at the house.
"We rushed back and she was already gone," Reyes said.
Reyes said he had no other details and was waiting to hear from his mother.
The arrest is the latest twist in the bizarre case about how the 11/2-inch finger tip ended up in a bowl of fast-food chili.
Ayala told police she found the finger March 22 while eating at a Wendy's in San Jose. She said she intended to sue but relented, claiming the publicity was too emotionally taxing.
When police and health officials failed to find any missing digits among the workers involved in the restaurant's supply chain, suspicion fell on Ayala, whose story has become a late-night punch line.
Ayala has a litigious history. She has filed claims against several corporations, including a former employer and General Motors, though it is unclear from court records whether she received any money. She said she got $30,000 from El Pollo Loco after her 13-year-old daughter got sick at one of the chain's Las Vegas-area restaurants. El Pollo Loco officials say she did not get a dime.
Earlier Thursday, Ohio-based Wendy's International Inc. announced it had ended its internal investigation, saying it could find no credible link between the finger and the restaurant chain.
All the employees at the San Jose store were found to have all their fingers, and no suppliers reported any hand or finger injuries, the company said.
Sales have dropped at franchises in Northern California, forcing layoffs and reduced hours, the company said. Wendy's also has hired private investigators, set up a hot line for tips and offered a $100,000 reward for anyone who provides information leading to the finger's original owner.
LilDucky
New Member
Police: Wendy's chili finger identified!
Yet, she still refuses to 'fess up!!!! :hurl: :hurl: :hurl:
Yet, she still refuses to 'fess up!!!! :hurl: :hurl: :hurl:
Dizknee_Phreek
Well-Known Member
Wow...maybe one of her kids was playing a nasty prank on her...I wouldn't be surprised if that was her next allegation.
btw, am I the only one who keeps looking at Wendy's signs expecting to see "Try our new finger foods"? :zipit: I swear, I do that every time I pass a Wendy's!
btw, am I the only one who keeps looking at Wendy's signs expecting to see "Try our new finger foods"? :zipit: I swear, I do that every time I pass a Wendy's!
Pumbas Nakasak
Heading for the great escape.
makes you put a whole new take on "succulent fingers of breast meat"
AliciaLuvzDizne
Well-Known Member
did anyone get their free frosty's yesterday?
i did
i did
Dizknee_Phreek
Well-Known Member
Gosh dangit! Why didn't I know about this? Where was I? Did every Wendy's give out free frosty's? ...Now you've got me thinking about them, and I'm getting a craving for one! lol!AliciaLuvzDizne said:did anyone get their free frosty's yesterday?
i did
