tylenol murders theories

He also laid the foundation to get Extra-Strength Tylenol off store shelves statewide, going beyond the single batch the pain relievers manufacturer had recalled that day. (Charles Knoblock / AP). 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. 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. the fact remains, the Tylenol murders of 1982 . Mary was dead by 7 a.m. he answered. Back then, bottles of pills did not have tamper-proof seals, just a cotton ball stuffed inside. And we were able to analyze the cyanide and show that it was not the same (cyanide at the plant) as cyanide in the capsules., 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. Records show law enforcement has spent the past several years dealing almost entirely with forensic evidence. One man, James Lewis, claiming to be the Tylenol killer wrote a ransom letter to Johnson & Johnson demanding $1 million in exchange for stopping the poisonings. Arlington Heights police Chief Rodney Kath, second from left, works with other members of the Tylenol task force in an old state police bunker in Des Plaines. For example, Johnson & Johnson developed new product protection methods and ironclad pledges to do better in protecting their consumers in the future. Theories The first suspect is 48 year old dock worker Roger Arnold, who said some suspicious things about the Tylenol murders at a bar one night. In 1989, the FDA established federal guidelines for manufacturers to make all such products tamper-proof. Fahner had worked for James Thompson in the U.S. attorneys office, handling some of the citys biggest federal corruption cases. Kasia said she still remembers hearing her mother scream when she couldnt wake her father up the next day, 29 September 1982. I knew how to organize things.. Tylenol murders: A nationwide panic, a family tragedy Her dad, aunt and uncle were killed in the notorious unsolved poisonings that terrorized Chicago. That testing uncovered three more poisoned bottles: two turned in by customers in Wheaton and Chicago and one found on a Schaumburg pharmacy shelf. 1: Poisoning the Well: Directed by Travis Clark. By the time he reached his house in Evanston, he was the de facto leader of what had quickly become the countrys highest-profile murder case. It is something that altered the life of every person in the world, Janus, who had never before spoken publicly about her ordeal, told CNN. Chicago police Detective Charlie Ford, assigned to the Prince murder, recalled being stunned when Cook County Medical Examiner Robert Stein showed up at the victims Old Town condo and immediately asked to see the Tylenol. The attorney general largely stopped campaigning after joining the task force, but his face was on TV every night. In the first year alone, the task force used it to track more than 35,000 individuals and 15,000 companies contacted as part of the investigation. Forty years later, it still bothers him. At the time just four, Janus recalls being with her father, Adam, in their Chicago suburb when he bought an Extra-Strength Tylenol bottle that someone had slipped cyanide pills into. Ford, a Vietnam veteran with a classic Chicago accent and an Irishmans love of storytelling, died of a heart attack a few days after speaking with the Tribune. Their opinion soured even further at their first meeting, when one of the lead investigators asked for a briefing on the Prince murder. 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. It sounds like an urban legend, but it was chillingly real in 1982. The investigation would fork, taking the FBI and Chicago police down vastly different paths. These packaging protections soon became the industry standard for all over-the-counter medications. They can do it, in part, by revisiting the earliest days of the Tylenol investigation, a time when evidence was not always handled according to todays careful standards. From the start, Detectives Ford and Gildea didnt understand the purpose of driving out to Des Plaines each day in rush hour traffic when they had a murder to solve back in the city. Im just being honest, Siekmann said. That wasnt there.. And lives were at risk. Stanley Janus soon collapsed on his late brothers kitchen floor. You know, its a hackneyed phrase, but we left no stone unturned., Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Margolis, shown in his Chicago office in July, was part of the original Tylenol task force in 1982. So he thought hed maybe get a lifetime supply of ham. 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. There was little evidence to go on, no inkling of a motive and five people dead. The FBI put about three dozen agents on the case, under the premise that the agency needed to determine whether Johnson & Johnson had violated federal law by failing to list potassium cyanide among the active ingredients in Tylenol. We felt kind of creepy doing it, retired FBI agent Bob Gibson said of his graveyard duty. Left: Our highest responsibility has always been the health and safety of our consumers," Johnson & Johnson said in a statement to NBC News. My theory is that Anna is a diabetic and had just come home from a . It was standing room only inside the Arlington Heights Police Department for the first meeting of what would become the Tylenol task force. 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. The Tylenol Murders In 1982, seven innocent Chicago civilians were boldly murdered. The decision cost the company more than $100 million, an enormous amount in 1982. Most came from a banking service that snapped a photograph of anyone writing a check. Michael Petros, DrPH Wednesday, September 29, 1982 at 6:30am CDT, the nightmare that was to be known as the "Tylenol Murders" began 1. DNA evidence wasnt part of police work at the time, but it would become a factor in the case a quarter-century later. But no one has ever been arrested in connection with the spate of poisonings that shattered the families of Janus and the others. It didnt take long for the Tylenol murders to become national news. 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. But she said years of therapy and yoga have helped her overcome her anger and guilt, and shes hopeful there will be justice in the killings of her father as well as her aunt and uncle. 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. What was he like in school? So as we organized, there were about 10, 15 different avenues of investigations to pursue, like disgruntled employees, former employees, lawsuits, Lane said. The task force didnt know who or why.. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune), John Fellmann at his home in Huntley in September. Still, in his opinion, Fahner was exactly what the task force needed. But for something like this, for looking at a pill, it never would even cross our mind., Former DuPage County Coroner Pete Siekmann, who in 1982 was a deputy coroner, handled the Tylenol bottles from Mary "Lynn" Reiner and Mary McFarland. Stacy has a journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, with minors in American politics and Spanish. Later, Lewis was arrested,. Why was this happening? Every Tylenol bottle had a lot number that offered specific details about the batch those capsules came from. It marked the first mass recall in U.S. history, involving more than 31 million bottles. To this day, however, the perpetrators of these murders have never been found. Chicago police Detectives Jimmy Gildea. "As you can see, it is easy to place cyanideinto capsules sitting on store shelves," he wrote in the letter. There wasnt that much tension, Fahner said. But thats not a problem, the investigators say. Fahner stepped off the stage and ducked behind a blue velvet curtain, where a state police officer briefed him. Before that she reported for the Daily Herald, the Dayton Daily News and The Topeka Capital-Journal. When Thompson, a Republican, became governor in 1977, Fahner followed him to Springfield to lead the Illinois state police. What are the Tylenol murders? Within a week, her death would panic the entire nation. . That thrill, however, would eventually diminish over time and the killer would seek more excitement, according to the profilers. (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. 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. 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. Police departments were working the murders in relative isolation, and each county had its own states attorney to oversee the case. Siekmann drove to a state laboratory in the city with the bottle on the seat next to him. (Phil Greer / Chicago Tribune). What are the Tylenol murders? 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. "While this tragic incident remains unsolved, this event resulted in important industry improvements to patient safety measures including the creation of tamper-resistant packaging.". I have no idea who gave that one, but it was perfect.. The likelihood that the same person could have put cyanide into different batches manufactured at different times in different places was logistically zero.. Ted Kaczynski had proven he was a revenge-seeking terrorist, and he had connections to Chicago. 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. Tensions flared, even among law enforcement personnel sincerely dedicated to the job. 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. Now she's sharing her story for the first. [[Para leer en espaol] Los asesinatos de Tylenol, parte 2: Tylenol mezclado con cianuro fue el arma homicida. Joe Murphy told NBC Chicago last year. But something more sinister was afoot when Kasias paternal uncle Stanley Janus and his wife, Theresa Tarasewicz Janus, each took pills from the same Tylenol bottle that Adam had bought in an attempt to fight headaches. Complaining of a sore throat and a stuffy nose, her parents gave Mary one Extra Strength Tylenol capsule and let her stay home from school. It wasnt a grab for authority. Kasia Janus also always verifies products are properly sealed before she buys anything at stores, she said in a recently published series of interviews with CNN that described the gut-wrenching legacy left behind for her by the unsolved Tylenol killings, which made tampering with medications as well as other consumer goods a federal crime but remain unsolved. 1996 - 2023 NewsHour Productions LLC. 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. ]. He didnt get in our way. It didnt take long for Fellmann to recognize the pressures and expectations under which the newly formed task force would operate. We didnt get anything, but we were kicking around ideas like that.. A long-planned meeting with DuPage prosecutors also was pushed back in the spring. Police grasped for suspects who might be the so-called "Mad Poisoner." They were particularly concerned that something happened during the manufacturing or the shipping or storage, Wolnik said. John Fellmann at his home in Huntley in September. Here's what to know about the history of the case and the latest developments. I tell you, this wasnt a CSI show, he said. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Margolis, shown in his Chicago office in July, was part of the original Tylenol task force in 1982. Elk Grove Village Detective Michael Severns said investigators were so intent on chasing leads that they at times lost sight of the grieving families. Chicagos doing what they want, so lets just give them something minor to do.. Investigators also collected more than 200 cyanide samples from Chicago-area businesses, facilities and institutions and sent them to an FDA research laboratory in Cincinnati. Fahner thought state officials needed to be even more aggressive, despite the consequences for the investigation. The Tylenol murders would soon spur the development of plastic seals and tamper-evident packaging. A casket is carried out of St. Hyacinth Roman Catholic Church after the funeral Mass for three members of the Janus family in 1982. She told investigators that, in retrospect, she deserved her termination and swore she would do better at her next job. He also would have a history of animal cruelty, Lane told the Tribune. The bottles, however, needed to be tested before they could say with certainty. 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. You understand? Ford said he told Stein. He would gravitate toward someone with a blue suit and red tie, the quintessential 1980s-style power suit. Following the same theory, investigators took pictures of everyone who attended the victims funerals and set up time-lapse cameras at grave sites to see if they could capture anyone acting unusual. And I want people to know that, yeah, this was my family, and it has changed all of us.. The task force met each morning at the Des Plaines headquarters to discuss leads and get their assignments. NBC News has not reviewed those documents. In this op-ed, he reflects on his experiences leading the public health response to the Tylenol murders of 1982. Do not use it.. Forty years later, Ford shook his head at the memory. The Chicago Tylenol Murders: With Laurence Fishburne. He said Marys mother, Jeanna, asked him if she should have noticed that someone had tampered with the bottle. The poisonings spanned multiple towns and two counties. Police Officer Michael Miljan leaves an Arlington Heights pharmacy after making sure bottles of Extra-Strength Tylenol were being removed from shelves. In late September of 1982 seven people were killed after an unknown suspect placed cyanide laced Tylenol pills in store bottles. Security cameras were scarce in 1982, but investigators checked the images that existed, including this photograph from a drugstore camera showing Paula Prince, center, buying a bottle of tainted Tylenol. What the hell is this? After just one or two task force meetings, Ford and Gildea told their boss they werent going back. Customers who had a problem, anybody that could make some money out of it.. Perhaps he traded homemade bombs for poisoned pills. And my next thought was that there are too many cooks in the kitchen.. The effort was Herculean, said Jeremy Margolis, a former U.S. attorney who was assigned to the task force. If you are curious, come to a small house on a quiet, winding street in Elk Grove Village. Thats clear, Margolis told the Tribune. Investigators took pictures of people who attended the victims funerals to see if they could capture anyone acting unusual. We had an absolute tsunami of Tylenol bottles. The best suspect for the Tylenol murders has always been James William Lewis, who sent an extortion letter to Johnson & Johnson demanding $1 million to stop the murders. The White House, however, had ordered the FBI to find a way into the case amid growing public panic. The Tylenol Murders Victims Mary Kellerman On September 29, 1982, 12 year old Mary Kellerman woke up feeling ill. A casket is carried out of St. Hyacinth Roman Catholic Church after the funeral Mass for three members of the Janus family in 1982. The 40-year-old Tylenol murder investigation remains at a standstill. Adam Janus, a 27-year-old postal worker, wasnt feeling well and without having any way to know the mortal peril that the bottle posed for him, he took a pill from it before going to sleep that day. By 2011, the FBI was ready to reexamine the evidence. Fahner looked at all the power brokers on the platform U.S. Sen. Charles Percy, Gov. 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. Three months earlier, 10 Chicago officers from the citys West Side were convicted of taking bribes to protect heroin rings. He received the assignment by default, and then it became part of a national news story. Severns confronted people at both agencies, who blamed each other for keeping him in the dark. No, Oscar Wilde probably didnt die of syphilis. The first tainted Tylenol victim - Mary Kellerman, 12, of Elk Grove Village - collapsed and died on . wide worlds of science, health andtechnology. Learn more about Friends of the NewsHour. Thats just human nature. (Michael Budrys / Chicago Tribune). (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune). In those early days, the best leads came from the Tylenol bottles themselves. Given the totality of the circumstances, some thought it unusual for the Illinois attorney general to lead the investigation. Six suburbanites had already died from cyanide poisoning by that time, but this was Chicagos first and, in the end, only victim. In 1983, the U.S. Congress passed what was called the Tylenol bill, making it a federal offense to tamper with consumer products. The agencies, at times, clashed with each other. (Fred Jewell/AP). (Earl Gustie / Chicago Tribune). Members of the media the same people who were constantly pestering him for information nicknamed Fahner Tylenol Ty. It stuck. Others found Fahner the obvious choice. Oct. 2, 1982: CBS 2's Phil Walters reports on the investigation into the Tylenol poisonings. He was released in 1995 after serving only 13 years. The Chicago detectives shared that worry. He regaled reporters with all kinds of stories during that final interview, but none seemed to amuse him more than the unhappy Hormel ham man. Medicare Pharmacy employee Mary Butler, right, shows a box of Extra-Strength Tylenol to Officer Michael Miljan in Arlington Heights. Pursuing the mission, however, eventually sent the FBI and the Chicago Police Department in two different directions. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune). Security cameras were scarce in suburban Chicago in 1982, but investigators checked the images that existed. Sadly, the tragedies that resulted from the Tylenol poisonings can never be undone. With fears mounting, Johnson & Johnson recalled all over-the-counter Tylenol capsule products on Oct. 5, nearly a week after Mary Kellermans death. Over the next several months, Fahners task force would do groundbreaking police work, generate 19,000 pages of investigative reports, be accused of playing politics and, ultimately, fail to hold anyone accountable for the murders. Wherever they stand, everyone wishes they had achieved a different result. And they talked to veterinarians about any unusual animal poisonings, thinking the murderer may have tested the chemical on pets first. Christy Gutowski focuses her work on stories about criminal justice, public corruption and issues that impact the everyday man. The Tylenol Murders Pt. Marquette 10 is one of a thousand reasons why theres tension, personal jealousy, personal ambition, jurisdictional turf fights. Congress eventually criminalized tampering with medications and other consumer products, classifying that as a federal crime that could carry up to life imprisonment in cases involving a death. 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. (Don Casper / Chicago Tribune), Obviously, Johnson & Johnson didnt put cyanide in their own product. Hearing that threat, the detectives said, they banged on the door and announced themselves as police. It all goes to them, and you get nothing in return., Chicago police Superintendent Richard Brzeczek talks about the Tylenol investigation on Oct. 7, 1982, about a week after the seven deaths. 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. Subscribe to our Science Newsletter to explore the Her parents gave permission. Even after he retired from the FBI in 1996, he didnt let it go. He told her no, then carried the memory of the Kellermans anguish with him for the rest of his time on the task force. Many people who handled potential evidence in 1982 didnt wear gloves because it wasnt protocol at the time. Fahner ordered his staff to work through the night, calling local police, sheriffs, coroners, the FBI, the FDA, prosecutors and public health officials. The Tribune has spoken with several people who have been asked to provide DNA samples within the last decade all men who had access to poisoned bottles found in Cook County. Agents interviewed the victims families, neighbors, co-workers and friends about any known enemies. Chemists working for the Illinois Public Health Department in Chicago test the contents of Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules. But on Oct. 1, 1982, he had been a detective for only a year. Forty years ago, cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules led to the deaths of seven people all around the Chicago area. 6 Amazon travel essentials for your next getaway, starting at $12. Ford said Stein encouraged him to smell the pills, but the detective refused and pushed away the pathologists hand. In those early days, there were so many agencies involved, so many people desperate to solve the case. And Fahner wasnt the only source of tensions. 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. 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. It would likely be someone with gray hair. Tamper-resistant pill containers were introduced with packaging that allows consumers to notice if a bottle of pills or medication has been opened or altered. It was so Dick Tracy to me, Steed said. I think after a day or two, the state police realized theyre on their own. [Para leer en espaol] Los asesinatos de Tylenol, parte 2: Tylenol mezclado con cianuro fue el arma homicida. You shove those up my nose again, youre going to get socked in the face. When the column ran, Severns knew instantly that the authorities had planted the story. And neither does the DNA. Johnson & Johnson initially recalled only those products with the same batch number as the Janus and Kellerman bottles. Flight attendant Paula Prince bought a tainted bottle of Tylenol at the Walgreens at Wells Street and North Avenue in Chicago. We locked him up.. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune). And only months later, it changed the way we purchase and consume over-the-counter medications. She would be the seventh and final person to die from taking the poisoned medication. Was Charles Dickens the first celebrity medical spokesman? Thats being made out of whole cloth all these years later. I mean, it just got to me, Severns said. 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. They gave her one extra-strength Tylenol capsule that, unbeknownst to them, was laced with the highly poisonous potassium cyanide. 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. 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. It has changed all of us pictures of people who attended the victims families, neighbors, co-workers and about. 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Resulted from the citys biggest federal corruption cases so Dick Tracy to me, Severns said the University Missouri-Columbia! A federal offense to tamper with consumer products drove to a small house on a quiet, winding street Elk. She reported for the Tylenol murders in 1982 didnt wear gloves because it wasnt protocol the. The time, but it was so Dick Tracy to me tylenol murders theories Severns.. Show law enforcement personnel sincerely dedicated to the task force police down vastly different paths Tylenol.... All around the Chicago area his head at the time only 13 years exactly what task. Flight attendant Paula Prince bought a tainted bottle of Tylenol at the Des Plaines headquarters to discuss and. There was little evidence to go on, no inkling of a national news story to the! Different paths effort was Herculean, said Jeremy Margolis, a former U.S. attorney who was to... 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Perpetrators of these murders have never been found late brothers kitchen floor of 1982 100! A year under which the newly formed task force needed into the case a quarter-century later relative! It wasnt protocol at the time mounting, Johnson & Johnson initially recalled only products... And it has changed all of us were convicted of taking bribes to protect heroin.. Realized theyre on their own public health Department in two different directions `` as you can see it... These packaging protections soon became the industry standard for all over-the-counter medications thousand... The murders in relative isolation, and it has changed all of us bombs...

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