Finger In Chili Stumps Cops

Police Doubt Appendage Found In Wendy's Chili Was Cat-Bite Victim's

(CBS/AP) 
CBS' Early Show National Correspondent Hattie Kuffman reports Ayala has a history of lawsuits. She's sued a Las Vegas restaurant for food poisoning, sued a past employer, and sued an auto dealership.

As part of their investigation into where the finger might have come from, police searched Ayala's home.

Asked by a reporter whether she put the finger in the chili, Ayala shot back, "No, I did not. No, I did not. Now, I'm very angry. …Where would I get a damn finger, for God's sake?"

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 come from any of 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.