IL IL - Chicago Tylenol Murders: 7 people dead from cyanide poisoning, 1982

[dotr]

Yeah I was just putting it out there because, women generally commit murders in very hands off ways.

When the Tylenol murders first happened, i had an odd dream which stuck with me all these years, in it, a dark female? was in a church or daycare basement who was inserting poison into medication.
Nothing to do with real life of course, just an opportunity to share a bizarre but unforgotten memory. fwiw.

 

[dotr]

Apr 30, 2025
Who really laced Tylenol with cyanide? This true-crime series examines alarming theories behind the unsolved killings — and tracks down a key suspect.

 

[dotr]

April 30 2025

The Tylenol murders claimed 7 lives and remain unsolved. New documentary unpacks cold case

A new Netflix docuseries is diving into 1982's unsolved Tylenol murders case, which involved seven victims killed in Chicago.

www.shelbystar.com

"Is there one mastermind behind these horrific deaths, or is that simply a convenient scapegoat in a darker conspiracy and potential cover-up?" Netflix's series synopsis reads. "The series reopens the case that turned the world’s best-selling drug into a terrifying symbol − and changed forever how we view the products in our own medicine cabinets."

''Lewis was released from prison in 1995, and he and his wife moved to Massachusetts. While remaining a suspect, he always denied any role in the deaths, even going as far as creating a website devoted to claiming he was framed. In 2010, Lewis gave DNA samples to the FBI.''

 

[CLeonidas]

From Chicago [mod snip] I was young when this happened but it stuck with me...Totally weird case...Plus the Max Headroom signal hijacking...

 

[PrairieWind]

April 30 2025

The Tylenol murders claimed 7 lives and remain unsolved. New documentary unpacks cold case

A new Netflix docuseries is diving into 1982's unsolved Tylenol murders case, which involved seven victims killed in Chicago.

www.shelbystar.com

"Is there one mastermind behind these horrific deaths, or is that simply a convenient scapegoat in a darker conspiracy and potential cover-up?" Netflix's series synopsis reads. "The series reopens the case that turned the world’s best-selling drug into a terrifying symbol − and changed forever how we view the products in our own medicine cabinets."

''Lewis was released from prison in 1995, and he and his wife moved to Massachusetts. While remaining a suspect, he always denied any role in the deaths, even going as far as creating a website devoted to claiming he was framed. In 2010, Lewis gave DNA samples to the FBI.''

I don't think Lewis was the killer.

 

[Betty P]

I don't think Lewis was the killer.

I agree. He was guilty of trying to capitalize on the murders with his blackmail scheme, but I still think it was someone who had access to the Tylenol via a local distribution center. The tainted bottles seemed to originate from one local warehouse. No other tainted Tylenol was found at any other location in the US or in the Chicago area.

JMO, whoever did it was never in the stores where it was found. That said, I'm often wrong, haha.

I'm putting the Netflix special on my calendar. This is one of those cases I'd love to see solved. Such a mystery. It was a huge investigation, everyone worked very hard to solve it. News media covered it very well.

 

[arielilane]

Dec. 9, 2024, True Crime Broads did a podcast episode with Michelle Rosen, she was eight years old when her mother, Mary Reiner, died after consuming the lethal contaminated Tylenol. Ms. Rosen, is dedicated to seeking justice for her mom and other victims. It was very eye opening what she uncovered during her research. It's well worth a listen and I agree with her detailed analysis. I commend Ms. Rosen for her tenacity and trying to get to the truth. I believe she is onto something. Her views ring true to me. The public needs to know the truth. moo

 

[PrairieWind]

Dec. 9, 2024, True Crime Broads did a podcast episode with Michelle Rosen, she was eight years old when her mother, Mary Reiner, died after consuming the lethal contaminated Tylenol. Ms. Rosen, is dedicated to seeking justice for her mom and other victims. It was very eye opening what she uncovered during her research. It's well worth a listen and I agree with her detailed analysis. I commend Ms. Rosen for her tenacity and trying to get to the truth. I believe she is onto something. Her views ring true to me. The public needs to know the truth. moo

Interesting. I will see if I can find that to listen to this weekend.

 

[Betty P]

Dec. 9, 2024, True Crime Broads did a podcast episode with Michelle Rosen, she was eight years old when her mother, Mary Reiner, died after consuming the lethal contaminated Tylenol. Ms. Rosen, is dedicated to seeking justice for her mom and other victims. It was very eye opening what she uncovered during her research. It's well worth a listen and I agree with her detailed analysis. I commend Ms. Rosen for her tenacity and trying to get to the truth. I believe she is onto something. Her views ring true to me. The public needs to know the truth. moo

Really interesting podcast. I've always agreed about the distribution aspect, that it had to be someone who planted it after it shipped from factory and before it was sent to stores.

Wow about the stuff found at the Howard Johnson's hotel parking lot in Elgin, IL. Big boxes and bottles of Tylenol, broken etc. all over the lot. White powder that sickened police after they looked at it.

 

[Betty P]

Has anyone read the book Mary Reiner mentioned, "The Tylenol Mafia"? I'll have to check it out. Mary and the author of that book both feel the contamination of the Tylenol capsules more likely occurred in either the distribution chain or possibly during manufacturing.

https://www.amazon.com/Tylenol-Mafia-Marketing-Murder-Johnson/dp/1466206063

It's true, most of the evidence has been destroyed. It seems it would be difficult to prove where the contamination occurred. They also speculate (realistically IMHO) that more Tylenol was tainted than originally believed, but was disposed of by consumers worried about the product they'd already purchased.

It's relevant that the tainted bottles appeared on store shelves and was purchased and fatally consumed by the victims in such a short time frame. Since it was determined the tainted batches came from two separate manufacturing facilities, one in PA, the other in TX, it seems unlikely it was a manufacturing error.

If there was a malfunction or deliberate tampering at the plants, it would have to be done around the same time in the same product (Extra Strength Tylenol Capsules) in two different locations. Maybe I'm missing something, but that seems unlikely. It seems more likely the tampering took place at a DC or warehouse.

 

[kemo]

Among the people who died, it was Mary Reiner’s death that attracted the most interest from investors. She had purchased a bottle of Regular strength Tylenol from a retail store shortly before her death but she also had a small bottle of Extra strength Tylenol she had been give by the hospital after she gave birth. There were 6 red and white Extra strength capsules on top of the bottle while the rest of the capsules were grey Regular strength. Four of the six red and white capsules contained cyanide while the other two were normal Tylenol capsules. All of the other known tainted bottles were Extra strength and all of the tainted and untainted capsules were red and white Extra strength. It is speculated that Mary added the capsules she got from the hospital to the bottle she purchased but no one knows which bottle the fatal capsules came from. If they came from the hospital bottle, they entered the Distribution network from a totally different source than the others. The fact that all tainted capsules arrived in only the Chicago area at the same time makes this very unlikely. The other possibly is that
the poisoner put tainted Extra strength capsules in a bottle of Regular strength capsules. Was that just a mistake or something?

The Reiner case was given far more attention by investigators than the other cases and her husband and parents were polygraphed multiple times and all of their “known associates” were interrogated. Ultimately the FBI came to the conclusion that no one had targeted her and the tainted capsules came from the bottle she had purchased; not from the hospital. The circumstances of her death do raise questions. Perhaps the Netflix documentary will shed some light on it.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

As TIME magazine described the significance of the Tylenol poisonings in the Oct. 18, 1982, issue, “Suddenly one of the small bonds of unconscious trust that hold society together had snapped.” The victims “had been murdered by remote control, by a poisoner who had no way of guessing in even the most general sense who his victims might be—men or women, young or old—and could not have cared.”

The filmmakers hope a documentary series on the case on the world’s largest streaming platform might reach someone who knows something that could help investigators or encourage the FBI to unseal any relevant documents.

Now the question is whether viewers will be afraid to take medicine in their cabinets after watching Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders. Pines warns: “Even if a bottle seems to be completely sealed, it might still be laced with some sort of poison or other toxic agent, so, yeah. I think this series is gonna scare the sh-t out of people.”

The True Story Behind Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders

The main suspect in the Tylenol murders speaks out in a Netflix documentary

time.com

 

[Betty P]

As TIME magazine described the significance of the Tylenol poisonings in the Oct. 18, 1982, issue, “Suddenly one of the small bonds of unconscious trust that hold society together had snapped.” The victims “had been murdered by remote control, by a poisoner who had no way of guessing in even the most general sense who his victims might be—men or women, young or old—and could not have cared.”

The filmmakers hope a documentary series on the case on the world’s largest streaming platform might reach someone who knows something that could help investigators or encourage the FBI to unseal any relevant documents.

Now the question is whether viewers will be afraid to take medicine in their cabinets after watching Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders. Pines warns: “Even if a bottle seems to be completely sealed, it might still be laced with some sort of poison or other toxic agent, so, yeah. I think this series is gonna scare the sh-t out of people.”

The True Story Behind Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders

The main suspect in the Tylenol murders speaks out in a Netflix documentary

time.com

I still think its good to revisit the story. A lot of people remember when it happened. I'm still not sure they uncovered the suspect in their investigation. They tried very hard, put in a lot of effort, but I'm not sure the people who fell under suspicion were the ones.

JMO, there are still some things to be learned from that tragic event.

ETA: I'm amazed Netflix was able to get James Lewis to appear on the documentary. He's a bizarre, controlling and dangerous man, but I don't see how he could have done it. He was nowhere near Chicago, or Illinois for that matter. JMO, he was just trying to cash in on the tragedy and thought he could outsmart the police. Turned out he couldn't.

ETA2: Its on Netflix starting today, I'm watching. They're bringing up how secretive the investigation was and how much J&J was a part of it.

 

[SadieSeeks]

IMO I’m really leaning towards it being someone with direct contact and access to the factory/distribution centers. I see why Lewis was a strong suspect and he’s clearly committed some serious crimes before, but per the documentary I find Johnson & Johnson to be more suspicious since they destroyed so much evidence, so know one really even knows how many bottles were actually contaminated. The presence of cyanide being at their factories is also a significant factor too.
Also lack of strong forensic evidence from Lewis having any connection with the actual poisonings and his DNA not matching is an important consideration as well.

 

[Betty P]

IMO I’m really leaning towards it being someone with direct contact and access to the factory/distribution centers. I see why Lewis was a strong suspect and he’s clearly committed some serious crimes before, but per the documentary I find Johnson & Johnson to be more suspicious since they destroyed so much evidence, so know one really even knows how many bottles were actually contaminated. The presence of cyanide being at their factories is also a significant factor too.
Also lack of strong forensic evidence from Lewis having any connection with the actual poisonings and his DNA not matching is an important consideration as well.

It was also interesting that J&J originally hid the fact that they had cyanide at their plants and that it wasn’t always stored in a secure, locked area.

That doesn’t necessarily mean they were responsible for the poisonings, but it should be investigated further if possible.

 

[dotr]

True Crime Fans Need To Watch Netflix’s Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders For One Chilling Reason

The docuseries has one chilling inclusion.

screenrant.com

By Dani Kessel Odom Published 18 hours ago
'Even the most knowledgeable true crime aficionados need to check out Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders because of one chilling aspect of the docuseries that doesn’t exist elsewhere.'

''Since it’s a well-known case, many fans of the genre might feel inclined to skip it. After all, some documentaries just rehash the same details over again without offering anything new. However, Cold Case: Tylenol Murders sets itself apart by offering something new that no other true crime documentary can provide, the only interview with the prime suspect of this specific cold case.''

''Getting James Lewis to cooperate with the Netflix docuseries was no easy feat, as the prime suspect turned down interviews before. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Producer Molly Forster is to thank for convincing Lewis to go on camera. Though journalists hoped to get him to speak about the case, only Forester got her to open the front door.''

 

[Betty P]

True Crime Fans Need To Watch Netflix’s Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders For One Chilling Reason

The docuseries has one chilling inclusion.

screenrant.com

By Dani Kessel Odom Published 18 hours ago
'Even the most knowledgeable true crime aficionados need to check out Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders because of one chilling aspect of the docuseries that doesn’t exist elsewhere.'

''Since it’s a well-known case, many fans of the genre might feel inclined to skip it. After all, some documentaries just rehash the same details over again without offering anything new. However, Cold Case: Tylenol Murders sets itself apart by offering something new that no other true crime documentary can provide, the only interview with the prime suspect of this specific cold case.''

''Getting James Lewis to cooperate with the Netflix docuseries was no easy feat, as the prime suspect turned down interviews before. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Producer Molly Forster is to thank for convincing Lewis to go on camera. Though journalists hoped to get him to speak about the case, only Forester got her to open the front door.''

Yes, its a very good documentary. Reveals quite a bit of new information. The interview with James Lewis is very interesting.

 

[kemo]

There is no absolute, incontrovertible proof that Lewis didn’t plant the tainted product but I am satisfied that he only wrote the letter in order to take advantage of the situation to cause problems for an enemy. The “alternative” explanation; that the tainted product arrived at the retail stores through the distribution network, is not impossible but it is highly unlikely. All of the bottles containing cyanide had 6 to 12 capsules of cyanide on the top while the rest of the capsules were normal Tylenol. This was no “factory accident”, someone deliberately opened the packaging, replaced normal capsules on top with tainted capsules, and sealed them back up before returning them to where they would ultimately be sold to unsuspecting customers. This could have happened at any point in the distribution chain but the J&J distribution system is national and deaths would have been spread out over a wide geographic area and a longer time period.

The retailers who sold the tainted bottles obtained their supplies of Tylenol from either their own nationwide wholesale network (Jewel, Savon) or through independent “jobbers” (Franks Finer Foods). For tainted products to enter multiple supply networks, deaths would have occurred throughout the country. True, random unexplained deaths, particularly of older people, could have gone unnoticed, but after the Chicago deaths, every unexplained death, during that time period, in the greater Chicago area was reevaluated; and a tox screens were done. To a lesser extent, greater scrutiny was conducted nationwide. Some additional cyanide deaths were discovered but they were all found to be murders, but unrelated to Tylenol. Like Lewis as a suspect, this kind of thing cannot be absolutely ruled out, it just seems highly unlikely. Even if you suspect Law Enforcement colluded with J&J to cover it up, it would seem near impossible to effectively conceal such a plot.

 

[Kell1]

Most I have talked to about this case felt it probably originated in the McNeill factory outside of Philadelphia, and not the work of some madman

Whether or not it was done deliberately or accidentally has never been determined, neither was the true extent of the problem, as some felt there was possibly many more unidentified victims.

If I recall Johnson and Johnson recalled nearly all of the extra strength Tylenol across the country but instead of testing it the company destroyed it before tests could be done to possibly determine the scope and possibly origins of the problem .

Which in and of itself seemed suspicious

 

[sleeptoker]

If I recall Johnson and Johnson recalled nearly all of the extra strength Tylenol across the country but instead of testing it the company destroyed it before tests could be done to possibly determine the scope and possibly origins of the problem .

Correct. Johnson & Johnson says they tested millions of capsules (I want to say it was 6.5 mil) while FDA/law enforcement did the rest of the testing (1.5 mil capsules).

No one else did testing of the capsules before they were all destroyed.

They investigated themselves, and we all know exactly how problematic that is.