http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7844274/

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The finger that a woman said she found in a bowl of Wendy’s chili came from an associate of her husband who lost the digit in an industrial accident, police said Friday.

“The jig is up. The puzzle pieces are beginning to fall into place,” Police Chief Rob Davis said.

The man is from Nevada and lost a part of his finger in an accident last December, Davis said. His identity was traced through a tip made to Wendy’s hot line, he said.

He said authorities “positively confirmed that this subject was in fact the source of the fingertip.”

Anna Ayala, the woman who said she found the finger, was arrested last month at her suburban Las Vegas home.

Ayala said she bit down on a 1 1/2 inch-long finger fragment while dining with her family in March at a San Jose Wendy’s.

But authorities had said they believed the story was a hoax.

Ayala’s husband, Jaime Plascencia, was arrested earlier this month on a fugitive warrant at the couple’s home to face charges unrelated to the Wendy’s case. San Jose police had said he used his children’s personal information in a fraudulent manner for personal gain, and he was charged with identity theft, fraudulent use of official documents, failure to pay child support and child abandonment.

The man who lost the finger, whose name was not released, had given the finger fragment to Plascencia, Davis said.

A phone call to Ayala’s attorney on Friday was not immediately returned.

Wendy’s has offered a $100,000 reward and has said it has lost millions in sales since Ayala made the claim. Dozens of employees at the company’s Northern California franchises also have been laid off.

“There are victims in this case that have suffered greatly,” Davis said.

Wendy’s had said all the employees at the San Jose store were found to have all their fingers, and no suppliers of Wendy’s ingredients have reported any hand or finger injuries.

They finally fingered the guy.

This is looking like a conspiracy. I'll bet serious charges will be made.

how did it get in the chili? :grr:

how did it get in the chili? :grr:

i'm wondering the same thing

how did it get in the chili? :grr:
The woman put it in there. It was a hoax to sue Wendy's.

They finally fingered the guy.

This is looking like a conspiracy. I'll bet serious charges will be made.

:lol: Sorry but the first statement had my mind going into the gutter. So if it's her husband's associates finger, does that mean that the husband took it and gave it to her? If that's the case, the husband should be charged also.

"Waiter! Somebody put a fly in my soup!"

:lol: Sorry but the first statement had my mind going into the gutter. So if it's her husband's associates finger, does that mean that the husband took it and gave it to her? If that's the case, the husband should be charged also.
Is anyone reading the article? The details are all there. :)

I feel bad for all the people who are being laid off just because that lady wanted money :rolleyes:

The woman put it in there. It was a hoax to sue Wendy's.
woahhhh what a bitch.

i've never thought of doing something like that.

I feel bad for all the people who are being laid off just because that lady wanted money :rolleyes:

Indeed. It's people like that who cause so much pain.

Is anyone reading the article? The details are all there. :)
i read it 2 or 3 times and i still couldn't figure out about how it got in there.

They should throw the book at her.......

It said right in there it was beleived to be a hoax, anyhow here is Wendy's response to the report:

DUBLIN, Ohio -- May 13, 2005 -- In response to the announcement today by the San Jose Police Department, Wendy's released the following statement.

"From the moment we learned of this terrible hoax, we pledged to do everything we could to find out what really happened that night, including offering a $100,000 reward. Now thanks to the incredible work of the San Jose Police Department, the pieces of the puzzle are coming together. Based on the reported evidence, there can be no doubt that we are completely vindicated, " said Tom Mueller, Wendy's President of North America.

"We strongly defended our brand and paid a severe price. In the end, as Dave Thomas taught us, when you do the right thing, good things usually happen.

"We are extremely proud of our employees and franchisees who have suffered the most, and we are forever grateful to our many customers who have supported us during this difficult time."

Wendy's due to that incident, has lost about 30-40% of their business across the nation. And they can thank that woman over that!!

It said right in there it was beleived to be a hoax
yeah i saw that, but i really can't see how some authorities just "believing" that "the story was a hoax" implies that she put the finger in there herself.

yeah i saw that, but i really can't see how some authorities just "believing" that "the story was a hoax" implies that she put the finger in there herself.
Well if the finger came from someone she knows and she has a history of lawsuits, i think anyone can put 2 and 2 together.

yeah i saw that, but i really can't see how some authorities just "believing" that "the story was a hoax" implies that she put the finger in there herself.
A hoax is when someone tries to pull off something that's not true. So, when authorities say her story is a hoax, they are referring to her story of finding the finger in her chili. They're saying that it's a hoax. She was arrested last month. They've known for awhile that her story was a hoax, but they didn't know where the finger came from.

Now they know. As the article states, it was her husband's friend's finger. The friend gave it to her husband and it ended up in her chili. There's the chain of custody.

Just a hunch, but it wouldn't surprise me if her husband's friend is charged too as well as the husband. Why would someone give their severed finger away, and when he heard about his friend's wife finding a finger in her Wendy's chili, wouldn't he have put two and two together?

Why would someone give their severed finger away...

"Hey, Jaime... I lopped off my finger the other day. Want to have it?"
:lol: You never know! People do some strange things!

"Hey, Jaime... I lopped off my finger the other day. Want to have it?"
:lol: You never know! People do some strange things!
:lol: True, but when the case gained national publicity, he would have had to put two and two together. I think he's involved. It's hard to come up with another plausible explanation.

Well if the finger came from someone she knows and she has a history of lawsuits, i think anyone can put 2 and 2 together.
yeah, i can understand that.

i think anyone can put 2 and 2 together.
wouldn't he have put two and two together?
he would have had to put two and two together.

GET OUT OF MY HEAD

GET OUT OF MY HEAD
:lol: Just goes to show you what a no-brainer this case is.

I make chili a lot but ever since this thing happened I cannot eat it because all that I can think of is a finger floating around in there. puke:

I make chili a lot but ever since this thing happened I cannot eat it because all that I can think of is a finger floating around in there. puke:
I love Chili. Its one of my favorite meals and I like Wendy's Chili too but I haven't had any since this story broke. I'm sure the next time I order some I'll be thinking of the finger incident. It would be hard not to. :lol:

I make chili a lot but ever since this thing happened I cannot eat it because all that I can think of is a finger floating around in there. puke:

I'll have your serving! :eatarrow:

I'll have your serving! :eatarrow:

Ok Max You've got it! :lol:
I am very squeamish. I hate hearing stories like this! :eek:

What a great bunch of people. LOSERS.

man, i wish i had some beach front property in arizona to sell those people who wanted the guys severed finger...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2005/05/24/state/n172740D93.DTL

Husband implicated in chili finger case charged with two felonies

The husband of a woman accused of planting a human finger in a bowl of Wendy's chili now faces two felony charges in the alleged scheme, Santa Clara county prosecutors said Tuesday.

Jaime Placencia, 43, who was arrested May 4 in Las Vegas on unrelated charges, faces similar felony charges as his wife, Anna Ayala.

Placencia was charged with conspiracy to file a false charge and attempted grand theft with excessive damages, meaning he tried to extract a large amount of money from the fast food chain, prosecutors said.

Deputy District Attorney David Boyd declined to elaborate on the charges except to say that Placencia "conspired with (Ayala) to commit fraud." If convicted, he could face up to nine years in prison, Boyd said. He also may have to reimburse Dublin, Ohio-based Wendy's, which claims to have lost at least $2.5 million in sales because of bad publicity.

Placencia's arraignment is tentatively set for Thursday afternoon in San Jose.

Ayala, 39, is jailed on charges of conspiracy to commit fraud, attempted grand theft and grand theft. If convicted on all three counts, she could face nearly 10 years in prison and may also have to reimburse Wendy's.

Ayala told police she discovered the fingertip March 22 while eating with her family at a San Jose location. But law enforcement officials have characterized the incident as a hoax.

The finger belongs to Placencia's co-worker, Brian Paul Rossiter, 36. Rossiter lost the tip of his finger in December in an accident involving an electronic lift at Lamb Asphalt Maintenance near Las Vegas.

A recently filed San Jose police affidavit said that Placencia "purchased the injured co-worker's detached finger and advised that he intended to use the finger to create a lawsuit by planting the finger in food at an undisclosed restaurant."

Placencia's attorney, Charles Kramer of San Jose, couldn't immediately be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.

Placencia has been in custody on unrelated charges of failing to pay child support. Assistant District Attorney Karyn Sinunu said on Tuesday that the new charges will not affect the child support case.

I'm glad the husband was also charged. I figured that would happen.

I'm glad the husband was also charged. I figured that would happen.
I have a feeling that his friend with the missing finger is next to be charged.