Finger in a bowl of steamy chili

The finger a woman said she found in a bowl of Wendy's chili came from an associate of her husband, who lost it in an industrial accident, police said Friday.

"The jig is up. The puzzle pieces are beginning to fall into place, and the truth is being exposed," said Police Chief Rob Davis.

The discovery of the finger`s owner was a significant break in a case that has confounded authorities for nearly two months, since Anna Ayala said she bit down on the well-manicured, 1 1/2 -inch finger in a mouthful of her steamy chili.

The case became the talk of the Internet and late-night talk shows, and it spawned numerous bizarre tips and theories about the source of the finger. One story told of a woman whose fingertip was bitten off by a spotted leopard kept as a pet, reports the Kansas City Star.

According to the Guardian Unlimited, the finger came from a man who lost it in an &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/society/2001/05/28/6095.html ' target=_blank>industrial accident and gave it to the husband of Ayala, who allegedly planted it in a scam to get money.

"The puzzle pieces are beginning to fall into place, and the truth is being exposed," police Chief Rob Davis said at a news conference Friday.

Davis said a tip was called in to a hot line established by the Ohio-based fast-food chain, and police found the man in Nevada this week. He said scientific tests confirmed the finger was his.

Investigators had initially believed the 1-inch fragment was a woman`s because the nail was well-trimmed.

Davis would not identify the man or say why they think he gave the finger to Ayala`s husband. The nature of the industrial accident was also not disclosed. They said only that the man was an associate of Ayala`s husband, a construction worker.