Police in San Jose, Calif., are using a fingerprint database to help determine whose finger a woman bit into while eating a bowl of chili at a Wendy's restaurant, according to a Local 6 News report.

Health authorities in California confirmed that a woman bit into the finger and nearly swallowed it while eating in San Jose Tuesday night. The discovery was also confirmed not to be a hoax.

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'Initially she did put this object in her mouth and did bite down on it," Santa Clara County Health Department spokesman Ben Gale said. "Initially she was a bit grossed out and vomited a number of times at the unpleasant experience of having a finger in her mouth."

Thursday, the medical examiners released a photo of the mangled finger and a long fingernail.

Employees at the Wendy's were checked and the fingertip didn't come from any of them, officials said, adding that the well-cooked finger may have come from a food processing plant that supplies the company.

Denny Lynch, a spokesman for Wendy's International Inc., based in Dublin, Ohio, said there have been no reports to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of injuries at any supplier of chili ingredients to Wendy's.

Health officials said the fingertip was approximately 1 1/2 inches long. They believe it belongs to a woman because of the long, manicured nail. Investigators seized the remaining chili and closed the restaurant for a few hours.

Alexiou said the woman, who asked officials not to identify her, is at minimal risk of contracting illnesses from the finger because the chili was cooked.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.