The finger allegedly found in a bowl of chilli at a Wendy’s restaurant has been identified, according to the BBC.


It belonged to a family friend of Anna Ayala, the woman who said she discovered the finger as she ate in a restaurant in San Jose, California, the broadcaster said. Police say the finger had been lost in an industrial accident in December.


Ms Ayala, 39, was arrested last month on larceny charges. Her claim cost Wendy’s millions of dollars in lost sales. The finger’s owner was identified after a call to Wendy’s reward hotline last week, San Jose police chief Rob Davies said.


“The jig is up, the puzzle pieces are beginning to fit together and the truth is being exposed,” he added. Ayala claimed she had bitten down on the finger which she described as “kind of hard, crunchy.”


She said the incident had caused her “great emotional distress.”

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She has since withdrawn her lawsuit against Wendy’s.


The fast food chain has insisted all along that the finger did not originate at one of its establishments as no staff had lost a digit and no suppliers had reported any hand accidents.