That testing uncovered three more poisoned bottles: two turned in by customers in Wheaton and Chicago and one found on a Schaumburg pharmacy shelf. The Tylenol murders fundamentally changed the way we consume medication - among other things, leading to tamper-proof pill and bottle designs. Sadly, the tragedies that resulted from the Tylenol poisonings can never be undone. 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. Fahner ordered his staff to work through the night, calling local police, sheriffs, coroners, the FBI, the FDA, prosecutors and public health officials. Before that she reported for the Daily Herald, the Dayton Daily News and The Topeka Capital-Journal. Working with FDA officials, they introduced a new tamper-proof packaging, which included foil seals and other features that made it obvious to a consumer if foul play had transpired. No one has ever been charged with the murders. Forty years after that terrifying period in September 1982, investigators say new evidence and a potential motive may be enough to finally solve the case. That thrill, however, would eventually diminish over time and the killer would seek more excitement, according to the profilers. The Tylenol murders have never been solved, though at one point, the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, was a suspect. Neither did the chemist who performed the cyanide test. I dont think that bore fruit at all.. 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. But thats not a problem, the investigators say. Siekmann, who had been working since 8 a.m., believed some capsules were tainted from the first time he laid eyes on them. 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. Conspiracy theories about motives and suspects for all these heinous acts continue to be bandied about on the Internet to this day. Simply put, the feds entry into the investigation hinged on the admittedly preposterous notion that the manufacturer intentionally put poison in the pain reliever and then committed a misdemeanor crime by not including it on the label. The state police memo indicates fingerprints were found on at least one of the bottles, as well as a full print on the inside of a different bottles box. America was gripped by paranoia and fear. When the column ran, Severns knew instantly that the authorities had planted the story. The Kellerman and Janus bottles contained Tylenol from lot MC2880, manufactured in Pennsylvania on April 26, 1982. Here's what to know about the history of the case and the latest developments. In fact, so many big dogs were present, Fellmann said he couldnt find a free chair inside his own 60-seat roll call room. Paramedics came and took Adam Janus to a nearby hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead from what they suspected may have been a heart attack. He had never been better known in Illinois and was inching up in the polls too. Despite the passage of time and, in a way, because of it the bottles still may offer clues as to who poisoned the capsules. 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. The substance was grainier than the untainted Tylenol on the left. History's Greatest Mysteries looks into the theories regarding the Tylenol Murders in Chicago 1982. 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. And neither does the DNA. His task force partners the FBI and state police had blindsided the Elk Grove Village detective, and he was angry. Everyone who had access to the box including the judge and his wife provided fingerprints for comparison. They can account for the differing DNA profiles. Scott Stump is a staff reporter and the writer of the daily newsletter This is TODAY. Photo by Yvonne Hemsey/Getty Images. A lot of people who didnt like me or didnt like Thompson or my association were taking shots, Fahner said. We felt kind of creepy doing it, retired FBI agent Bob Gibson said of his graveyard duty. Seven people in the Chicago area were killed that year by Tylenol that had been poisoned with potassium cyanide. Within 48 hours of the murders, the task force used this information to conclude publicly that the pills could not have been poisoned during production. 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.. Michael Petros, DrPH Wednesday, September 29, 1982 at 6:30am CDT, the nightmare that was to be known as the "Tylenol Murders" began 1. The coppers and the FBI guys that I knew all worked together. I was the detective at the scene. 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. Deputy coroner Siekmann recalled going to Winfield to pick up the Tylenol collected from Reiners house a few hours after her death. The likelihood that the same person could have put cyanide into different batches manufactured at different times in different places was logistically zero.. 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. Most came from a banking service that snapped a photograph of anyone writing a check. 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. And my next thought was that there are too many cooks in the kitchen.. (Earl Gustie / Chicago Tribune). She would be the seventh and final person to die from taking the poisoned medication. And, in the decades since, scientific advances have allowed investigators to detect DNA profiles on at least three of the tainted bottles and the capsules inside. The substance was grainier than the untainted Tylenol on the left. A photograph of a television screen shows the specific lot number for a batch of Extra-Strength Tylenol that was the first to be recalled. The Tylenol Murders Pt. Ford said he told the renowned pathologist the bottle was on the vanity, and Stein, who wasnt wearing gloves, went to grab it. Forty years ago, cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules led to the deaths of seven people all around the Chicago area. They were particularly concerned that something happened during the manufacturing or the shipping or storage, Wolnik said. Dr. Howard Markel writes a monthly column for the PBS NewsHour, highlighting momentous historical events that continue to shape modern medicine. The red cap was easily flipped open, with nothing but a little piece of cotton left to cover the capsules. We were looking for somebody that really looked like they didnt belong. A casket is carried out of St. Hyacinth Roman Catholic Church after the funeral Mass for three members of the Janus family in 1982. (Charles Osgood / Chicago Tribune). Stanley Janus soon collapsed on his late brothers kitchen floor. 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. Im not saying that the task force didnt work or thats why the case was never solved, Severns said. All 3 networks lead with the Tylenol story on the first day of the crisis. In the meantime, Kasia Janus has said shes dealt with occasionally overwhelming sadness because of the graduations her father couldnt attend. Chicago police Detectives Jimmy Gildea. 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. "Ladies, you ever been harassed for something for 40 years that you had nothing to do with?" In work that would later be heralded in scientific journals, the scientists also tested the cyanide kept at the Tylenol plant to see if it somehow got into the production process. Some expressed surprise at how casually other people treated the poisoned bottles. The Unsolved Tylenol Murders of 1982: The Unabomber Theory Written by C.W.S. That wasnt there.. He couldnt leave. Our highest responsibility has always been the health and safety of our consumers," Johnson & Johnson said in a statement to NBC News. 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. Thompson put him in charge of the investigation to get TV time. Customers who had a problem, anybody that could make some money out of it.. 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. As a state crime, murder fell under the purview of local law enforcement. I said, Agent, agent. You know, boost exposure and stuff like that.. Product tampering would become a crime in 1983 as a result of these murders, but in 1982 there was no federal law against it. And lives were at risk. And there were a lot of bottles to come out of that lot.. 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. Each participant has a packet of information that authorities use to explain their findings. I think after a day or two, the state police realized theyre on their own. The 18-page investigative summary also provides key evidence, including the names of the three main suspects, during the first seven months of the case. Within a week, her death would panic the entire nation. A long-planned meeting with DuPage prosecutors also was pushed back in the spring. 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. 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. 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. Stanley died that very day and Theresa died two days later. 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. Wherever they stand, everyone wishes they had achieved a different result. Perhaps he traded homemade bombs for poisoned pills. Another theory was that whoever poisoned the medication did it at home or in a car, then placed the bottles back on the shelves. (Fred Jewell/AP). The evening marked an important shift in the tragedy, moving from a swiftly solved medical mystery into a massive criminal investigation. We still receive tips that are being evaluated and investigated. He didnt fit that profile, Hogberg said. These packaging protections soon became the industry standard for all over-the-counter medications. Another tip involved a man who was threatening to poison Hormel food products. 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