Fast food worker accused of smearing menstrual blood on food

COLUMBUS, Miss. -- Authorities were looking into whether an employee at a Mississippi restaurant served food that had been purposely tainted with her menstrual blood.

Police in Columbus, Mississippi, said the incident occurred at the Jack's restaurant on Highway 45 on Jan. 7.

Reports of the incident first gained traction on social media, and the unidentified victim ultimately contacted police as they prepared to launch an official investigation.

Over the weekend, police issued a warrant for the arrest of 18-year-old Sky Juliett Samuel, who allegedly served the tainted food, ABC affiliate WTVA-TV reports.

Samuel turned herself in Monday morning. She was booked for putting bodily fluids on food and held on $5,000 bond.

In a statement, Jack's Family Restaurants told WTVA that the company "fully supports the police department's efforts to determine if there was any wrongdoing in this case."

The company added that it was cooperating with the investigation and had also launched an independent investigation.

"I'm glad a case has been opened on this incident to see exactly what happened," Columbus Mayor Robert Smith said in a news release. "There are laws related to tampering with food, and this is a serious issue."

The Mississippi State Department of Health was also investigating the incident.