An illegal alien working in a meat packing house somewhere in the southeast or midwest USA.
The guy who lost the finger is afraid to report it because he is here illegally. His employer doesn't want him to report it for the same reason.
The illegal gets one or two thousand bucks as payment for losing the finger and keeping quiet about it. The employer gets to keep his illegal low cost labor and his contract with Wendy's (at least until Wendy's traces the meat back the supplier).
That would be my bet...
I don't think the finger came in with the meat. IIRC, Wendy's uses "overcooked" burger patties (the ones not built into sandwiches in a certain amount of time) to make the chili. Now, that chili spice and bean mixture - betcha that's pre-packaged.
An illegal alien working in a meat packing house somewhere in the southeast or midwest USA.
If the fingertip was in ground meat, why wasn't it ground up?