Lab technicians Nlada Marzette, left, and Lynn Pilaggi inspect the contents of Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules for cyanide contamination at the Illinois Department of Public Health in 1982. I said, Agent, agent. The decision cost the company more than $100 million, an enormous amount in 1982. What the hell is this? We had an absolute tsunami of Tylenol bottles. His brother and sister-in-law, Stanley, 25, and Theresa, 19, of Lisle, Illinois, rushed to his home to console their loved ones. None matched. And neither does the DNA. Medicare Pharmacy employee Mary Butler, right, shows a box of Extra-Strength Tylenol to Officer Michael Miljan in Arlington Heights. A decadeslong investigation has centered around Massachusetts man James Lewis, 76, who was 36 at the time of the murders. Fahner, as head of the task force, quickly became the public face of the investigation. Ted Kaczynski had proven he was a revenge-seeking terrorist, and he had connections to Chicago. The death toll now stood at five: Reiner, McFarland, Adam Janus of Arlington Heights, his brother Stanley Janus of Lisle and 12-year-old Mary Kellerman of Elk Grove Village. Other copy-cat poisonings, involving Tylenol and other over-the-counter medications, cropped up again in the 1980s and early 1990s but these events were never as dramatic or as deadly as the 1982 Chicago-area deaths. A theory emerged: What if the Mad Poisoner was actually the Unabomber? The Tylenol murders: The story of a 40-year-old unsolved case begins with a terrifying medical mystery. . DNA evidence wasnt part of police work at the time, but it would become a factor in the case a quarter-century later. Tylenol murders: A nationwide panic, a family tragedy Her dad, aunt and uncle were killed in the notorious unsolved poisonings that terrorized Chicago. The FBI and Chicago police performed separate, but largely parallel, investigations until Oct. 6. Illinois Attorney General Ty Fahner talks about the Tylenol deaths on Oct. 1, 1982. I think hes nothing but a class act, said McQuaid, a retired state police captain. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Margolis, shown in his Chicago office in July, was part of the original Tylenol task force in 1982. Stores were pulling the product off shelves. The investigators would then return around 5 p.m. to update everyone on the days developments. Tylenol murders: A nationwide panic, a family tragedy Transformed by tragedy Her dad, aunt and uncle died 40 years ago after taking poisoned Tylenol. Investigators took pictures of people who attended the victims funerals to see if they could capture anyone acting unusual. Security cameras were scarce in suburban Chicago in 1982, but investigators checked the images that existed. (Chicago Tribune), If you are the Tylenol killer, though, you may be harboring just the vaguest curiosity about the people on the other end of your plan: The people who were unfortunate enough to purchase the bottle you had touched, Greene wrote. Despite the passage of time and, in a way, because of it the bottles still may offer clues as to who poisoned the capsules. We locked him up.. According to the state police memo obtained by the Tribune, the FDAs work traced the cyanide from the tainted capsules to Fisher Scientific, a Massachusetts-based lab supply company, which distributed that particular batch in 1978. As a state crime, murder fell under the purview of local law enforcement. Back then, bottles of pills did not have tamper-proof seals, just a cotton ball stuffed inside. 3: A Nightmare on Halloween: With Molly Jean Brandenburg, Carter Roy. He believed Thompson was behind the move, though Fahner denied it. They understood the tension between the FBI and local law enforcement some of them shared those same resentments but they thought Chicago didnt even try to be team players. The batch contained more than 1,800 pounds of cyanide, divided into packages of various sizes. Mary was dead by 7 a.m. After eliminating the possibility that the poisonings happened at the plant level, investigators scoured the backgrounds of workers at trucking companies and storage warehouses involved in the distribution of the tainted bottles, as well as other company records. In one instance, someone reported that a chemistry professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago had been bragging about access to labs with cyanide. Here, he offers a Spanish-language flyer to Luisa Acevada. He received the assignment by default, and then it became part of a national news story. The couple were later pronounced dead, too. 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. 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. No one has ever been charged with the murders. I knew how to organize things.. The discovery, so far, has been more of a curse than a blessing for present-day investigators, who have spent years obtaining DNA samples from investigators, public health officials, scientists and medical professionals who came in contact with the poisoned Tylenol. (Chicago Tribune archive). Chicago police Detectives Jimmy Gildea. Authorities wont discuss the potential theories or suspects they have amid an investigation that they insist remains open and unforgotten. The latest Tribune poll showed he was down by about 20 points in the upcoming election. . The task force didnt know who or why.. They were particularly concerned that something happened during the manufacturing or the shipping or storage, Wolnik said. He hangs up, opens the door and we come in like gangbusters, Gildea said. 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. Lewis admitted to the FBI that he sent a ransom letter at the time to Tylenol's parent company, Johnson & Johnson, according to reporting by The Chicago Tribune. Rosen's theory is that the tampering did not happen on store shelves, but at the manufacturing plant before the product was shipped out. The task force opted to work out of an Illinois state police bunker in Des Plaines, a central location that would be home to a tip line, twice-a-day investigator briefings and news conferences for the scores of reporters camped outside the building. Another tip involved a man who was threatening to poison Hormel food products. They gave her one extra-strength Tylenol capsule that, unbeknownst to them, was laced with the highly poisonous potassium cyanide. The FBIs involvement puzzled some because, as far as anyone knew, the federal agency didnt have jurisdiction in the case. He goes, It smells like burnt almonds. . She also told CNN she had invited many people to a memorial service and celebration of life luncheon honoring her father in hopes that shed learn things she never got the chance to because of the murder. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune). While acetaminophen the active ingredient in the top-selling pain reliever was a fine white powder, these were filled with a grainy, translucent substance. In reality, some task force members still accuse their colleagues of secretive behavior 40 years later. Kouba reviewed each as it came in, deciding which needed a field agents attention and which could be placed in a bin with other ludicrous claims. Nothing has come of that January 2022 meeting. 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. Former Illinois Attorney General Ty Fahner stands on the former site of the Tylenol task force headquarters in Des Plaines, now an empty parking lot. Records show law enforcement has spent the past several years dealing almost entirely with forensic evidence. Former Illinois Attorney General Ty Fahner stands on the former site of the Tylenol task force headquarters in Des Plaines, now an empty parking lot. 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. Unfortunately, each victim swallowed a Tylenol capsule laced with A lethal dose of cyanide. The task ahead was difficult. Studies have found women who kill use poison more often than men do, but they typically target people they know. (Stan Policht / Chicago Tribune). At first, the story focused in the Chicago/Cook County . But ultimately, three more people Mary Reiner, Mary McFarland and Paula Prince died within days after taking what they thought was an Extra-Strength Tylenol. Now Fahner had to win the job for himself, and he faced a formidable opponent in Democrat Neil Hartigan, a vote magnet from Chicagos North Side. I do think it created a lot of problems because youre always thinking theres somebody doing something behind your back.. Following the same theory, investigators took pictures . The investigation would fork, taking the FBI and Chicago police down vastly different paths. Former DuPage County Coroner Pete Siekmann, who in 1982 was a deputy coroner, handled the Tylenol bottles from Mary "Lynn" Reiner and Mary McFarland. The coppers and the FBI guys that I knew all worked together. Flight attendant Paula Prince bought a tainted bottle of Tylenol at the Walgreens at Wells Street and North Avenue in Chicago. Kasia said she long blamed herself for her fathers death, even though she was just in preschool when it happened. Joe Murphy told NBC Chicago last year. Everyone who had access to the box including the judge and his wife provided fingerprints for comparison. wide worlds of science, health andtechnology. What happens in most cases, and certainly what happened here beyond any question, was a 100% selfless, unified devotion to a very important mission.. (Fred Jewell/AP). Within a week, her death would panic the entire nation. 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. Nothing was being solved.. Police Officer Michael Miljan leaves an Arlington Heights pharmacy after making sure bottles of Extra-Strength Tylenol were being removed from shelves. It was 1982. To this day, however, the perpetrators of these murders have never been found. Please check your inbox to confirm. The police questioned him and searched his home, they turned up several interesting connections. Chicagos doing what they want, so lets just give them something minor to do.. James Thompson, Illinois Secretary of State James Edgar and shook his head. While I was not born yet and don't personally remember the Chicago Tylenol Murders of 1982, I do feel like I have experienced some of the anxiety that has never gone away. Roger Arnold worked at a jewel warehouse with the father of one of the victims named Mary Reiner. Here, he offers a Spanish-language flyer to Luisa Acevada. His wife whom he had just married fell limp in the living room a short while after that. It was so Dick Tracy to me, Steed said. Michael Petros, DrPH Wednesday, September 29, 1982 at 6:30am CDT, the nightmare that was to be known as the "Tylenol Murders" began 1. Each participant has a packet of information that authorities use to explain their findings. Her parents gave permission. I think its pretty important, the aide replied. Former Chicago police Superintendent Richard Brzeczek, shown in September, says he felt Ty Fahner was chosen to head the task force for political reasons. I mean, theres 10,000 reasons why people compete with each other. Every agency imaginable attended, many of them represented by their top leaders. He told her no, then carried the memory of the Kellermans anguish with him for the rest of his time on the task force. The program went far beyond any database previously used by law enforcement in Illinois. She also laments that her dad never got to meet her and her husband, her son, her stepson and her step-grandson. The Tylenol Murders Victims Mary Kellerman On September 29, 1982, 12 year old Mary Kellerman woke up feeling ill. And there were a lot of bottles to come out of that lot.. Testing found cyanide in the Extra-Strength Tylenol capsule on the right. The gelatin-based capsules were especially popular because they were slick and easy to swallow. Hearing that threat, the detectives said, they banged on the door and announced themselves as police. Nearly three weeks after the murders, for example, the FBI asked Chicago Tribune columnist Bob Greene to write a column about Mary Kellerman and include specific details such as the familys home address and the location of the little girls grave, with her parents permission. Fahner thought state officials needed to be even more aggressive, despite the consequences for the investigation. The first few days were spent talking to people closest to Prince and sifting through the many tips they received. Seven people between 12 and 35 died after ingesting cyanide-laced Tylenol pills in the Chicago area in 1982. The Tylenol murders fundamentally changed the way we consume medication - among other things, leading to tamper-proof pill and bottle designs. Tylenol murders investigators pursue new charges in 40-year case. You werent there. Forty years later, these earliest days remain a point of pride for some and a source of frustration for others. 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 new timeline suggests Lewis wrote the letter before the public knew the deaths were linked to the tainted Tylenol pills, according to the Chicago Tribune. Seven people died in 1982 after taking painkillers from bottle someone police do not know who had slipped cyanide pills into. And wherever they fell on the issue, that position hasnt changed much over the past four decades. With fears mounting, Johnson & Johnson recalled all over-the-counter Tylenol capsule products on Oct. 5, nearly a week after Mary Kellermans death. 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. (Ovie Carter / Chicago Tribune). What are the Tylenol murders? 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 America was gripped by paranoia and fear. Police grasped for suspects who might be the so-called "Mad Poisoner." The guy was a little wimpy, but his ham did stink.. I stepped off that dais, Fahner told the Tribune this year. The White House, however, had ordered the FBI to find a way into the case amid growing public panic. Other task force members, it should be noted, werent particularly fond of Chicagos efforts either. Police departments were working the murders in relative isolation, and each county had its own states attorney to oversee the case. 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. Later, Lewis was arrested,. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Kasia said she still remembers hearing her mother scream when she couldnt wake her father up the next day, 29 September 1982. Thompson put him in charge of the investigation to get TV time. We felt kind of creepy doing it, retired FBI agent Bob Gibson said of his graveyard duty. (Stan Policht / Chicago Tribune). Lewis, who now lives in the Boston area, has long denied any involvement in the murders and has never been charged. Seven people in the Chicago area were killed that year by Tylenol that had been poisoned with potassium cyanide. A lot of people who didnt like me or didnt like Thompson or my association were taking shots, Fahner said. Eight of them would be three-member squads composed of a federal agent, a state investigator and a suburban detective from one of the towns where the victims lived or tainted bottles were discovered. In 1983, the U.S. Congress passed what was called the Tylenol bill, making it a federal offense to tamper with consumer products. (Earl Gustie / Chicago Tribune). Im absolutely sure about that. That thrill, however, would eventually diminish over time and the killer would seek more excitement, according to the profilers. He held news conferences, sometimes twice a day, to meet the insatiable media demands. Fahner had worked for James Thompson in the U.S. attorneys office, handling some of the citys biggest federal corruption cases. 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. Forty years later, it still bothers him. She told investigators that, in retrospect, she deserved her termination and swore she would do better at her next job. Conspiracy theories about motives and suspects for all these heinous acts continue to be bandied about on the Internet to this day. Three months earlier, 10 Chicago officers from the citys West Side were convicted of taking bribes to protect heroin rings. I was the detective at the scene. The bottles, however, needed to be tested before they could say with certainty. In fact, so many big dogs were present, Fellmann said he couldnt find a free chair inside his own 60-seat roll call room. 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. All Rights Reserved. Most working detectives really dont trust the FBI, and the FBI doesnt trust us, Ford said. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune), If you stopped a thousand people on the street, youd be lucky if one of them could tell you who Ty Fahner was. 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. I thought, well, this is rather impressive, Siekmann said. J.J. Bittenbinder a tough-talking, mustachioed detective who would later gain fame as a TV safety expert served as a liaison to Fahners task force in Des Plaines. In late September of 1982 seven people were killed after an unknown suspect placed cyanide laced Tylenol pills in store bottles. Its a one-way street for information back and forth. But before Sept. 29, 1982, consumer products had few defenses against a person bent on sabotage. The operation was primarily staffed by female agents who answered phone calls and assessed information while their male counterparts worked in the field. (Michael Budrys / Chicago Tribune). Jose Rosa, right, was one of hundreds of Chicago city employees and volunteers to distribute warnings about cyanide-laced Tylenol in fall 1982. Indeed, the Johnson & Johnson recall became a classic case study in business schools across the nation. And when the sitting attorney general was indicted on tax fraud charges, Thompson appointed Fahner to fill the post. John Fellmann at his home in Huntley in September. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune). Still, in his opinion, Fahner was exactly what the task force needed. That wasnt there.. Former Chicago police Superintendent Richard Brzeczek, shown in September, says he felt Ty Fahner was chosen to head the task force for political reasons. Jose Rosa, right, was one of hundreds of Chicago city employees and volunteers to distribute warnings about cyanide-laced Tylenol in fall 1982. The profilers believed the killer was likely to visit one of those named places to see the heartbreak he had caused. IE 11 is not supported. The results came back positive for cyanide at 1:30 a.m. On Friday afternoon, doctors removed Stanley Janus wife, Terri, from life support. Authorities were convinced the killer didnt know any of the victims. Among them was Lane, a well-respected federal agent who would help put away all kinds of criminals during his nearly 30-year career, including mob boss Sam Carlisi, former Illinois Gov. Shari Kouba, shown in July at an FBI office in Mount Prospect where she used to work, ran a tips desk as part of the Tylenol task force. You know, because Ty was just a classy lawyer, and he never was a politician, he said. There, research chemist Karen Wolnik and her colleagues established a trace element pattern a sort of chemical fingerprint for each sample to determine whether it was identical to the poison used in the Tylenol killings. Some of those interviews may have gone to an agent who didnt do a good job., Shari Kouba, shown in July at an FBI office in Mount Prospect where she used to work, ran a tips desk as part of the Tylenol task force. And only months later, it changed the way we purchase and consume over-the-counter medications. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune). 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. We also are still were looking at emerging forensic technology, Sgt. 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. My theory is that Anna is a diabetic and had just come home from a . Investigators express frustration, anger even. Fahner ordered his staff to work through the night, calling local police, sheriffs, coroners, the FBI, the FDA, prosecutors and public health officials. The Illinois Department of Law Enforcement, now called the Illinois State Police, wanted him to help. And 35 years later, this murder mystery is still . He investigated the Tylenol poisonings in the Janus family and later served as police chief in Island Lake. Photo by Yvonne Hemsey/Getty Images. He was released in 1995 after serving only 13 years. The Kellerman and Janus bottles contained Tylenol from lot MC2880, manufactured in Pennsylvania on April 26, 1982. In keeping with that theory, the task force contacted hospitals to ask about anyone treated for poison burns or symptoms, in case the killer became ill or injured during the spree. Investigators took the funeral guest books and jotted down license plates, then entered names into a newly developed computer program that allowed them to cross-check for anyone attending multiple memorials, according to the state police report. Many people who handled potential evidence in 1982 didnt wear gloves because it wasnt protocol at the time. Fahner looked at all the power brokers on the platform U.S. Sen. Charles Percy, Gov. Employees of the Chicago City Health Department continue to test Tylenol medication for the presence of deadly cyanide at the Department's lab on Oct. 7, 1982. The Tylenol case marked one of the earliest uses of the approach. But when she opened the . The task force questioned stock boys, managers, disgruntled former employees and problematic customers at the hot locations, the teams name for the stores that sold the tainted Tylenol. And they talked to veterinarians about any unusual animal poisonings, thinking the murderer may have tested the chemical on pets first. 1: Poisoning the Well: Directed by Travis Clark. Extra-Strength Tylenol bottles, for example, came in a paper box with an unglued lid. The Illinois State Police told NBC News the investigation remains ongoing. I dont know what he thought. Was Charles Dickens the first celebrity medical spokesman? Halfway through the speeches, an aide tapped him on the shoulder and told him he needed to take an important call. The agencies, at times, clashed with each other. As a result of the crime, makers of Tylenol developed new product protection methods. The Tribune interviewed nearly two dozen members of the task force, many of whom confirmed the reports veracity and added their own perspective. Come to 1425 Armstrong Lane.. Stanley died that very day and Theresa died two days later. Meanwhile, a 12-year-old child named Mary Kellerman had also died suddenly in another Chicago suburb after taking an Extra-Strength Tylenol. Illinois Attorney General Ty Fahner talks about the Tylenol deaths on Oct. 1, 1982. These packaging protections soon became the industry standard for all over-the-counter medications. Next week: Police investigate a poor mans James Bond, and an eighth person dies. It started in 1982, not long after the murders. 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 . McNeill and Johnson & Johnson offered replacement capsules to those who turned in pills already purchased and a reward for anyone with information leading to the apprehension of the individual or people involved in these random murders. And you know, some agents are better than other agents and can really do a good job. And then there are agents who dont. 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. Fahners critics accused him of milking the Tylenol tragedy for his own benefit, and his opponents camp worried that he knew who the killer was and would make an arrest right before the November election. 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