Wendy's doubles reward for 'chili finger' info to US$100,000







April 16, 2005 After a promising lead from Pahrump, Nevada failed to identify the owner of the notorious "chili finger", Wendy's doubled their reward on Friday to US$100,000.

Sandy Allman recently lost a finger in Pahrump, when a leopard bit it off. Allman's finger was last seen at a Las Vegas hospital. Coincidentally, Anna Ayala, the woman who found the 'chili finger', also lives in Las Vegas. However, when Allman's prints were sent to San Jose police, they didn't match.

"There is no connection," Sheriff Tony Demeo told the San Jose Mercury News.

Wendy's sales "down significantly"
"Our brand reputation has been affected nationally," Wendy's President and COO Tom Mueller said in a statement. "We are determined to find out what really happened in this incident," he continued.

The company revealed on Friday that employees had passed lie detector tests. Wendy's continues to claim that there is no evidence that the finger ever entered their supply chain, pointing to a lack of any accidents among the workers at their suppliers.

Wendy's tip line has received reports from across the United States, from "folks who either have lost a finger, or know somebody who lost a finger," San Jose police Sgt. Nick Muyo told the Associated Press.