In 1982 there were a series of poisoning deaths in the Chicago metropolitan area from drug tampering to Tylenol. All of the victims had taken Tylenol-branded acetaminophen capsules that were laced with potassium cyanide. There were a total of 7 deaths in the original poisonings, but there were several more deaths in copycat crimes. If you don’t know what copycat crime is, it is a criminal act that is inspired by a previous criminal act. 

Four of the seven victims all died on the same day from the Tylenol poisonings. On September 29, 1982, Mary Kellerman (12) of Elk Grove Village, Illinois died after taking an Extra-Strength Tylenol. Also on September 29, 1982, in Arlington Heights, Illinois Adam Janus (27), his brother Stanly Janus (25), and sister-in-law Theresa (19) all died from the same bottle of Tylenol. Over the course of the next few days in Illinois, Mary McFarland (31), Paula Prince (35), and Mary Reiner (27) all died in similar incidents.

Once tests were done showing that the capsules contained cyanide, law enforcement warned the people via media that they should discontinue the use of Tylenol products. Police knew that because the Tylenol was tampered with, it wasn’t any of the manufacturers. The tampered-with bottles came from different pharmaceutical companies, and because the deaths occurred in the Chicago area, it had to be someone that bought the bottles, poisoned them, and then put them back on the shelves.  On October 5, 1982, Johnson & Johnson issued a nationwide recall of Tylenol products and also told individuals not to consume any of its products that contained acetaminophen because these capsules had been tampered with. Instead, individuals were told to buy solid tablets.

The first suspect was certainly not the smartest. His name was James William Lewis and he sent a letter to Johnson & Johnson demanding $1 million in exchange to stop the Tylenol murders. His fingerprints did not match up with the ones law enforcement had. He and his wife were living in Nw York City at the time, so it was very unlikely it was him. However, he was convicted of extortion and later served 13 years behind bars. The second and third suspects, Roger Arnold and Laurie Dann didn’t have many suspicions. Roger Arnold was suspicious because he was nervous when he was interviewed. Laurie Dann had poisoned and shot multiple people in 1988, six years after the Tylenol murders. She was only briefly considered a suspect, but there was no direct connection found between her and the Tylenol murders.

With the forensic technology that we have today, the case was reopened for investigators to look at. In 2011 FBI took DNA from Ted Kaczynski but ultimately found nothing. This case was very thought out and the murderer could very well be still out there. This makes me think, can we really trust anyone?