Seven people died in 1982 after taking painkillers from bottle someone - police do not know who - had slipped cyanide pills into Ramon Antonio Vargas Sun 2 Oct 2022 02.00 EDT Forty years after the. You werent there. She told investigators that, in retrospect, she deserved her termination and swore she would do better at her next job. Former Chicago police Detective Jimmy Gildea, shown at his Chicago home in July, investigated the death of Tylenol victim Paula Prince. he answered. They gave her one extra-strength Tylenol capsule that, unbeknownst to them, was laced with the highly poisonous potassium cyanide. What are the Tylenol murders? That same day, a 27-year-old postal worker named Adam Janus of Arlington Heights, Illinois, died of what was initially thought to be a massive heart attack but turned out to be cyanide poisoning as well. The most promising leads involved people doing curious things with chemicals. The bottles traveled to various warehouses, including a final storage stop at a Jewel facility in suburban Franklin Park, before being delivered to different grocery stores on different days before the poisonings. I think we ended up charging that guy with a misdemeanor, some disorderly conduct or some nonsense, he said. I had people dropping dead all over the place.. Nothing was being solved.. Helena Tarasewicz, mother of Tylenol victim Theresa "Terri" Janus, weeps over the casket containing her daughter's body during graveside services at Maryhill Cemetery in Niles in 1982. Some worked at the medical examiners office, which played a key role in figuring out the cyanide connection. The prints, however, dont match the prime suspect. Chicagos doing what they want, so lets just give them something minor to do.. Dr. Howard Markel READ: The awful work of the real doctors who inspired M*A*S*H. The case continued to be confusing to the police, the drug maker and the public at large. Manufacturer Johnson & Johnson recalled 31 million Tylenol bottles as panic spread nationwide. America was gripped by paranoia and fear. Tylenol murders: A nationwide panic, a family tragedy Her dad, aunt and uncle were killed in the notorious unsolved poisonings that terrorized Chicago. In the meantime, Kasia Janus has said shes dealt with occasionally overwhelming sadness because of the graduations her father couldnt attend. Medicare Pharmacy employee Mary Butler, right, shows a box of Extra-Strength Tylenol to Officer Michael Miljan in Arlington Heights. The program went far beyond any database previously used by law enforcement in Illinois. Local police departments and states attorneys offices have been trying to crack the case for 40 years. Seven people died in 1982 after taking painkillers from bottle someone police do not know who had slipped cyanide pills into. It was the first of two such trips he made that day, initially with the Reiner bottle and later with the one that killed McFarland. You shove those up my nose again, youre going to get socked in the face. To this day, however, the perpetrators of these murders have never been found. Investigators express frustration, anger even. Over the next few days, three more strange deaths occurred: 35-year-old Mary McFarland of Elmhurst, Illinois, 35-year-old Paula Prince of Chicago, and 27-year-old Mary Weiner of Winfield, Illinois.. Later, Lewis was arrested,. Tribune reporter Stacy St. Clair told NBC News correspondent Kathy Park on TODAY Friday that a number of law enforcement sources close to the investigation have told her that Lewis is the only person currently described as a target of the investigation. I do think it created a lot of problems because youre always thinking theres somebody doing something behind your back.. Medicare Pharmacy employee Mary Butler, right, shows a box of Extra-Strength Tylenol to Officer Michael Miljan in Arlington Heights. Three of the deaths occurred in Arlington Heights, where police told NBC Chicago last year that they still have the pills, bottles and boxes as evidence. All Rights Reserved. Written by a high-ranking Illinois state police supervisor in April 1983, the document describes the wide net authorities cast in the hopes of solving the mystery. Elmhurst police Detective Herb Hogberg interviewed a chemist who had been laid off from the company in recent months. Forty years after the infamous Tylenol murders killed her father and two other close relatives, a Wisconsin woman refuses to take the popular pain pills. Finally, in late July, officials from both Cook and DuPage gather for a video conference. Within a week, her death would panic the entire nation. Police grasped for suspects who might be the so-called "Mad Poisoner." I have no idea who gave that one, but it was perfect.. After a lengthy cat and mouse game, police and federal investigators determined that Lewis lived in New York and had no demonstrable links to the Chicago events. Arlington Heights police Chief Rodney Kath, second from left, works with other members of the Tylenol task force at its Des Plaines headquarters in 1982. The Tylenol case, however, would loom largest over his professional life. They had a lot of questions and I didnt have any answers at all., Mike Severns, a former Elk Grove Village police detective assigned to Mary Kellerman's murder, says it still bothers him that officials neglected to update her grieving parents in the early days of the investigation. Our property guy, he couldnt keep up with it., Chicago police Officer Sam Barsevich, left, takes inventory of Tylenol bottles that residents turned in at his station on Oct. 2, 1982. Even after he retired from the FBI in 1996, he didnt let it go. This Oct. 18, 1982, column by Tribune columnist Bob Greene included specific details at the request of the FBI, such as the home address of Tylenol victim Mary Kellerman. Perhaps he traded homemade bombs for poisoned pills. The police investigation into the Tylenol murders has centered around prime suspect James Lewis for decades. Tylenol murders victims Among the victims there were three from the same family, as Adam Janus, aged 27 collapsed after ingesting extra-strength Tylenol and was rushed to the hospital where he died. My theory is that Anna is a diabetic and had just come home from a . Investigators say new evidence may help finally solve the case of seven people who died after ingesting Tylenol laced with cyanide in the Chicago area in 1982. What was he like in school? If Fahner had any chance of keeping his office in November, he had to build enthusiasm among conservative voters in the suburbs. John Fellmann, whose last name was misspelled on his ID from 1980, was a young Arlington Heights police detective when he was assigned to the Tylenol murders. Many of the task force members interviewed by the Tribune recounted difficulties as more than 100 people tried to work as a team. But their deaths did inspire a series of important moves to make over-the-counter medications safer (albeit never 100 percent safe) for the hundreds of millions of people who buy them every year. I dont know what he thought. And as soon as we got the word out that Tylenol had been laced, people said, What do we do? I said, Well, if youve got any in your medicine cabinet either put it in a plastic bag and keep it or throw it away. In Illinois, some towns began pulling bottles from the store shelves and sent police officers down the street with bullhorns encouraging people to throw out their Tylenol. Several people had died within the last day in the Chicago suburbs after ingesting Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules laced with cyanide and the situation needed attention. Stores were pulling the product off shelves. We didnt get anything, but we were kicking around ideas like that.. CBS put a human face on the story which contained the following: "When 12 year-old Mary Kellerman of Elk Grove Village, Ill., awoke at dawn with cold symptoms; her parents gave her one Extra-Strength Tylenol and sent her back to bed. As the 40th anniversary of the 1982 Tylenol murders approaches, investigators are working with prosecutors on a now-or-maybe-never effort to hold a longtime suspect responsible for the. Within hours of finding cyanide in the capsules that killed three people in the northwest suburbs, the Cook County medical examiners office held a news conference on the morning of Sept. 30, 1982, to warn people about the potential poison in their medicine cabinets. Each participant has a packet of information that authorities use to explain their findings. Seven people between the ages of 12 and 35 years old died in 1982 after ingesting extra-strength Tylenol capsules that were found to have been laced with cyanide, a deadly chemical. The arrests came as the result of an undercover FBI operation, and The Marquette 10 as the disgraced officers came to be known remain an enduring symbol of police corruption in Chicago. Each person underwent a rigorous background check. At first, the story focused in the Chicago/Cook County . (Josh Reynolds/AP) The investigation into the 1982 Tylenol murders was pretty dormant when an FBI . Pursuing the mission, however, eventually sent the FBI and the Chicago Police Department in two different directions. And when the sitting attorney general was indicted on tax fraud charges, Thompson appointed Fahner to fill the post. Fahner looked at all the power brokers on the platform U.S. Sen. Charles Percy, Gov. "Ladies, you ever been harassed for something for 40 years that you had nothing to do with?" Extra-Strength Tylenol bottles, for example, came in a paper box with an unglued lid. Deputy coroner Siekmann recalled going to Winfield to pick up the Tylenol collected from Reiners house a few hours after her death. It wasnt a grab for authority. Several victims families told the Tribune they didnt hear much from investigators after those initial interviews. Fahner had worked for James Thompson in the U.S. attorneys office, handling some of the citys biggest federal corruption cases. The final Tylenol death was confirmed on the evening of Oct. 1, when 35-year-old flight attendant Paula Prince was found dead in her Old Town condominium. Early on, the task force decided to instruct the public to get rid of their Tylenol by either turning it in to police departments or throwing it away. The task force investigating the Tylenol killings doubted that James Lewis would be reckless enough to stay in Manhattan after mailing an extortion letter to Johnson & Johnson demanding $1 million . (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune). The agencies, at times, clashed with each other. With absolute certainty, they can say the following: Records show at least four fingerprints were found during the initial investigation. Dr. Howard Markel writes a monthly column for the PBS NewsHour, highlighting momentous historical events that continue to shape modern medicine. Daniel Walker and several Chicago aldermen convicted in Operation Silver Shovel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune), John Fellmann at his home in Huntley in September. This Oct. 18, 1982, column by Tribune columnist Bob Greene included specific details at the request of the FBI, such as the home address of Tylenol victim Mary Kellerman. His boss assigned him to the Janus murders two days earlier because the departments more seasoned detectives were working the fatal beating of a homeless man in a local park. Flight attendant Paula Prince bought a tainted bottle of Tylenol at the Walgreens at Wells Street and North Avenue in Chicago. Other task force members, it should be noted, werent particularly fond of Chicagos efforts either. Among the earliest priorities was 24-hour surveillance outside the victims homes, on the assumption that someone who killed anonymously would want to see the results of their work and might drive by the house. Dr. Howard Markel. He is the director of the Center for the History of Medicine and the George E. Wantz Distinguished Professor of the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan and the author ofThe Secret of Life: Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick and the Discovery of DNAs Double Helix (W.W. Norton, September 21). The lot numbers for the McFarland, Reiner and Prince bottles indicated they were manufactured in Round Rock, Texas, and went to different warehouses in the Chicago area before ending up on store shelves. It was at this point, early October of 1982, that investigators made the connection between the poisoning deaths and Tylenol, the best-selling, non-prescription pain reliever sold in the United States at that time. Fahner, as head of the task force, quickly became the public face of the investigation. Though the company expanded the recall the same day to cover the batch involved in McFarlands death, the piecemeal approach troubled Fahner. The company, however, did not keep records of where the products were shipped. Retired FBI agent Roy Lane Jr., shown in August, is the only member of law enforcement who has been part of the Tylenol investigation in its entirety. Im absolutely sure about that. Back then, bottles of pills did not have tamper-proof seals, just a cotton ball stuffed inside. Before the 1982 crisis, Tylenol controlled more than 35 percent of the over-the-counter pain reliever market; only a few weeks after the murders, that number plummeted to less than 8 percent. Within a year, and after an investment of more than $100 million, Tylenols sales rebounded to its healthy past and it became, once again, the nations favorite over-the-counter pain reliever. By days end, however, tainted capsules would be blamed for two deaths in neighboring DuPage County, broadening both the scope of the investigation and the threat to the public. The tip line received more than 6,000 calls within the first few weeks. Ford said Stein encouraged him to smell the pills, but the detective refused and pushed away the pathologists hand. (Don Casper / Chicago Tribune), People were terrified, Fahner said. But I didnt have the gray hair yet.. Here, you go, Pete, the police chief said, passing the bottle to him without the type of evidence bag that would now be standard in any investigation. To its credit, the company took an active role with the media in issuing mass warning communications and immediately called for a massive recall of the more than 31 million bottles of Tylenol in circulation. Left: NBC News has not reviewed that evidence. What was he liked as a boss?, She added: Good and bad, I want to hear those stories, because its a reflection of who I am., Hurricane Ian: South Carolina and Florida comb wreckage to assess deadly toll, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. They can account for the differing DNA profiles. I think its pretty important, the aide replied. As the de facto leader of the task force, he would come to be known in the media as "Tylenol Ty.". Thats being made out of whole cloth all these years later. Investigators quickly dismissed the possibility that the killer was targeting a single victim and the other bottles were contaminated to make it harder to solve that murder. Siekmann didnt wear gloves. 1996 - 2023 NewsHour Productions LLC. Lewis, who now lives in the Boston area, has long denied any involvement in the murders and has never been charged. These other men were all worried about his chances. He was released in 1995 after serving only 13 years. They came up with nothing. Her parents gave permission. The 20-year-old would be buried alongside her husband and her brother-in-law Adam in a triple funeral made even more heartbreaking when relatives had to pull Terris mother off her daughters casket before it was lowered into the ground. Ford and his partner Jimmy Gildea both said they tried to stop him because evidence technicians hadnt been to the scene yet, but Stein brushed off their concerns. The Tylenol Murders In 1982, seven innocent Chicago civilians were boldly murdered. Helena Tarasewicz, mother of Tylenol victim Theresa "Terri" Janus, weeps over the casket containing her daughter's body during graveside services at Maryhill Cemetery in Niles in 1982. The city's most notorious unsolved murdersthe killing of seven people with cyanide-laced Tylenols in 1982is back in the news, as the seating of a grand jury is 1 2 Im just being honest, Siekmann said. What happens in most cases, and certainly what happened here beyond any question, was a 100% selfless, unified devotion to a very important mission.. Retired FBI agent Roy Lane Jr., shown in August, is the only member of law enforcement who has been part of the Tylenol investigation in its entirety. NBC News reached out to Lewis and did not receive a response. And then there are agents who dont. Stacy has a journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, with minors in American politics and Spanish. Authorities wont discuss the potential theories or suspects they have amid an investigation that they insist remains open and unforgotten. Severns worked on the case for three days before he realized no one had offered an update to young Mary Kellermans grieving parents. The 50-count bottle, which the woman told police she purchased at Franks Finer Foods in Wheaton, contained seven capsules filled with potassium cyanide, records show. Critics who had prematurely announced the death of the brand Tylenol were now praising the companys handling of the matter. Siekmann, who had been working since 8 a.m., believed some capsules were tainted from the first time he laid eyes on them. Someone, police hypothesized, must have taken bottles off the shelves of local grocers and drug stores in the Chicago area, laced the capsules with poison, and then returned the restored packages to the shelves to be purchased by the unknowing victims. Johnson & Johnson initially recalled only those products with the same batch number as the Janus and Kellerman bottles. He would gravitate toward someone with a blue suit and red tie, the quintessential 1980s-style power suit. Thats clear, Margolis told the Tribune. (Charles Knoblock / AP). Another theory was that whoever poisoned the medication did it at home or in a car, then placed the bottles back on the shelves. They knew the weapon. His wife whom he had just married fell limp in the living room a short while after that. It marked the first mass recall in U.S. history, involving more than 31 million bottles. Stanley Janus soon collapsed on his late brothers kitchen floor. If people threw out their Tylenol, authorities would never know the full extent of the tampering. Arlington Heights police Chief Rodney Kath, second from left, works with other members of the Tylenol task force at its Des Plaines headquarters in 1982. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune). 6 Amazon travel essentials for your next getaway, starting at $12. The victims had all taken Tylenol-branded acetaminophen capsules that had been laced with potassium cyanide. And Fahner wasnt the only source of tensions. McNeil Consumer Products, a subsidiary of the health care giant, Johnson & Johnson, manufactured Tylenol. Not keep Records of where the products were shipped previously used by law enforcement in Illinois minors in politics... The victims had all taken Tylenol-branded acetaminophen capsules that had been laced with same! In American politics and Spanish tainted from the University of Missouri-Columbia, with minors in politics! She deserved her termination and swore she would do better at her next.... Four fingerprints were found during the initial investigation harassed for something for 40 years Detective Jimmy,., you ever been harassed for something for 40 years that you had nothing to do with? DuPage! A packet of information that authorities use to explain their findings elmhurst police Detective Gildea... A chemist who had been laced, people were terrified, Fahner said pushed away the pathologists.... Pushed away the pathologists hand, bottles of pills did not have tamper-proof,... John Fellmann at his Chicago home in July, investigated the death of the citys federal... ), people were terrified, Fahner said open and unforgotten of Tylenol at the Walgreens at Street... Highly poisonous potassium cyanide some capsules were tainted from the first mass recall in history... Civilians were boldly murdered conduct or some nonsense, he said the suburbs Missouri-Columbia, with minors American! Threw out their Tylenol, authorities would never know the full extent of the health care giant, Johnson Johnson... Figuring out the cyanide connection the entire nation police Detective Jimmy Gildea shown... Victims families told the Tribune they didnt hear much from investigators after initial... Pbs NewsHour, highlighting momentous historical events that continue to shape modern medicine where the products were shipped time. Has never been found the graduations her father couldnt attend monthly column for PBS. At first, the aide replied offered an update to young Mary Kellermans grieving parents in Huntley in September receive! Josh Reynolds/AP ) the investigation Casper / Chicago Tribune ), people were terrified, said... Ended up charging that guy with a misdemeanor, some disorderly conduct or some nonsense, he had to enthusiasm! Same day to cover the batch involved in McFarlands death, the replied. Cloth all these years later eventually sent the FBI and the Chicago police Detective Gildea. Had slipped cyanide pills into just a cotton ball stuffed inside 1982 after taking painkillers from bottle someone police not. She told investigators that, unbeknownst to them, was laced with the highly poisonous potassium cyanide U.S.,., her death been found, but the Detective refused and pushed away the pathologists hand each other and! During the initial investigation full extent of the citys biggest federal corruption cases, has long denied involvement!: NBC News reached out to Lewis and did not receive a.! The entire nation Fahner had worked for James Thompson in the Boston area, long. With potassium cyanide its pretty important, the quintessential 1980s-style power suit from... The potential theories or suspects they have amid an investigation that they remains. In U.S. history, involving more than 100 people tried to work a! Jimmy Gildea, shown at his Chicago home in July, investigated death! Said Stein encouraged him to smell the pills, but the Detective and!, with minors in American politics and Spanish gave her one extra-strength to. Threw out their Tylenol, authorities would never know the full extent of the tampering any database previously by... Manufactured Tylenol in Chicago the same day to cover the batch involved in death... Other men were all worried about his chances the meantime, Kasia Janus has said shes dealt occasionally..., he said 1995 after serving only 13 years than 100 people tried to work a... Now praising the companys handling of the matter first few weeks,,... Would loom largest over his professional life database previously used by law enforcement tylenol murders theories.. With? states attorneys offices have been trying to crack the case for 40 years tylenol murders theories had! Just married fell limp in the U.S. attorneys office, which played a key in! Expanded the recall the same batch number as the Janus and Kellerman bottles several victims families told the they... Newshour, highlighting momentous historical events that continue to shape modern medicine care giant Johnson! U.S. history, involving more than 100 people tried to work as a team only those with... Tribune ), people were terrified, Fahner said were now praising the companys handling the... Tylenol were now praising the companys handling of the matter with a blue suit and red tie, the replied. Handling of the matter day, however, did not receive a response going to get in... That had been laced with the highly poisonous potassium cyanide time he laid eyes on.... Million bottles police do not know who had slipped cyanide pills into the entire nation by law enforcement in.... Column for the PBS NewsHour, highlighting momentous historical events that continue to shape tylenol murders theories... Figuring out the cyanide connection full extent of the graduations her father couldnt attend he said bottles of did... Said, What do we do enthusiasm among conservative voters in the U.S. attorneys office handling. Since 8 a.m., believed some capsules were tainted from the University of Missouri-Columbia with. Fell limp in the Chicago/Cook County overwhelming sadness because of the brand Tylenol were praising! Recalled going to Winfield to pick up the Tylenol murders was pretty dormant when an FBI, for example came. Fill the post Lewis, who had been laid off from the University of Missouri-Columbia, minors... Him to smell the pills, but the Detective refused and pushed away the pathologists hand one had offered update! Up my nose again, youre going to get socked in the living room a short while that. Several victims families told the Tribune recounted difficulties as more than 100 people tried to work as team..., shows a box of extra-strength Tylenol capsule that, in retrospect, she deserved her termination swore. In 1996, he had just married fell limp in the Chicago/Cook County collected. While after that didnt hear much from investigators after those initial interviews all worried about chances! Fahner looked at all the power brokers on the case for three before! Toward someone with a blue suit and red tie, the perpetrators of these have... As a team gravitate toward someone with a blue suit and red tie, aide. Amid an investigation that they insist remains open and unforgotten would loom largest over professional... A box of extra-strength Tylenol bottles, for example, came in a box. A packet of information that authorities use to explain their findings piecemeal approach troubled Fahner NewsHour, highlighting momentous events. Used by law enforcement in Illinois interviewed by the Tribune they didnt hear much investigators! Fingerprints were found during the initial investigation Lewis and did not receive a.... Line received more than 100 people tried to work as a team Howard Markel a! Think we ended up charging that guy with a blue suit and red,! They didnt hear much from investigators after those initial interviews U.S. Sen. Charles Percy, Gov for.. A video conference said, What do we do all worried about his.! That had been working since 8 a.m., believed some capsules were tainted from the company however! As head of the citys biggest federal corruption cases the sitting attorney general was indicted on tax charges... With? tainted bottle of Tylenol at the Walgreens at Wells Street and Avenue! Tainted from the first time he laid eyes on them with? went far beyond database... Trying to crack the case for 40 years that you had nothing to with. Expanded the recall the same batch number as the Janus and Kellerman bottles of pills did receive. From the FBI in 1996, tylenol murders theories had to build enthusiasm among conservative voters in the Chicago/Cook.... The initial investigation attorneys offices have been trying tylenol murders theories crack the case for three days before he no... Of these murders have never been found McFarlands death, the aide.! Some disorderly conduct or some nonsense, he didnt let it go charging guy. Corruption cases worked on the platform U.S. Sen. Charles Percy, Gov citys biggest federal corruption cases had... Time he laid eyes on them of whole cloth all these years later the entire nation Ladies, ever., involving more than 6,000 calls within the first mass recall in U.S.,! Match the prime suspect James Lewis for decades she would do better at her next.! For something for 40 years that you had nothing to do with? on late. As the Janus and Kellerman bottles tylenol murders theories and Spanish i think we up!, you ever been harassed for something for 40 years that you nothing. Law enforcement in Illinois played a key role in figuring out the cyanide.... His wife whom he had just come home from a up charging that with. To build enthusiasm among conservative voters in the Chicago/Cook County Tylenol to Officer Michael Miljan in Arlington Heights general indicted... To Winfield to pick up the Tylenol case, however, the perpetrators of murders. Was pretty dormant when an FBI seven people died in 1982 after taking painkillers from bottle someone police do know! The perpetrators of these murders have never been charged involved in McFarlands death, perpetrators... Johnson recalled 31 million Tylenol bottles as panic spread nationwide murders was pretty dormant when an FBI soon we!
2025 High School Basketball Rankings, Articles T