LAS VEGAS, NV – Anna Ayala, the Las Vegas woman who alleges to have bitten into a dismembered human finger while eating a bowl of chili at a San Jose Wendy’s restaurant, was arrested late Thursday night in connection with the case.Ayala is currently in custody in Las Vegas, said San Jose police spokesperson Enrique Garcia, where she is being questioned “in connection with the Wendy’s investigation.” Police did not specify what charges were brought against Ayala.
Family friend Ken Bono said that police raided the house and found Ayala alone watching “Meet the Fockers” on video.
“I had just left to get some soda at the store, and when I came back she was gone and there were cars from the (Las Vegas and San Jose) police,” said Bono, who lives with Ayala.
Bono claims that Ayala is innocent and is being unfairly targeted by police and Wendy’s International Inc.
Ayala’s report after the March 22 incident spurred several investigations, including one by the San Jose police and another by Wendy’s. The Wendy’s investigation revealed on Thursday that the finger “did not originate in its food preparations or ingredients.”
Wendy’s had no comment regarding Ayala’s arrest Thursday night, and saying they were not contacted by police about the arrest.
The police investigation also revealed that the finger’s DNA did not match Sandy Allman of Pahrump, Nevada, whose finger was bitten off by a leopard in February.
Ayala has maintained that she did not plant the finger, and accused police of harassment after the April 6 search of her Las Vegas home. She withdrew the claim she had originally filed against Wendy’s, saying that the investigation was causing her family “emotional distress.”
Ayala has a history of filing less-than-successful legal claims against various companies, including the El Pollo Loco restaurant chain, where she claims her daughter fell ill with food poisoning; in 2000, she sued a San Jose car dealership and Goodyear Tire Corp, and in 1999 she filed a sexual harassment suit against La Oferta Review, a Spanish-language newspaper.
The Wendy’s case has drawn media attention worldwide and has led to a severe drop in sales, according to Wendy’s officials. The reward for leads in finding the finger’s original owner was doubled to $100,000 last week by Wendy’s.
