The Tylenol Murders on Netflix Explores the Cold Case of Fatal Poisonings
Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders takes a deep look into killings around Chicago in the 1980s. There was a spate of fatal poisonings involving the trusted painkiller Tylenol. The sick individual (or possibly individuals) laced the acetaminophen pain pill with potassium cyanide. In all, seven people lost their lives after simply taking a pill to treat their pain.
The Tylenol Murders Background
In 1982, 12-year-old Mary Kellerman had taken extra-strength Tylenol capsules for pain. She was hospitalized the next day and subsequently died. The following day, six other people died in the Chicago area. It was found they all had one thing in common: they had taken the common painkiller Tylenol.
County nurse Helen Jenkins was asked to help with the investigation. She turned over a Tylenol bottle to police investigator Nick Pishos, who determined that cyanide was used to poison the medicine. This resulted in one of the largest pharmaceutical recalls in the history of America.
The Tylenol Recall
Although there was no social media yet, the news hit the airwaves fast. People were told to stop taking Tylenol. Fear was heightened – and not just in the Chicago area, but all around the US.
Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer of Tylenol, issued a huge recall. 31 million bottles were thought to be in circulation, with a potential retail value of $100 million (this would be over $325 million today). Needless to say, Johnson & Johnson took a major financial hit. They also offered to exchange all Tylenol capsules previously purchased for Tylenol tablets.
The Tylenol Murders Suspect
Several people were considered to be suspects, including the Unabomber himself, Ted Kaczynski. Another suspect, Roger Arnold, was thought to be a potential subject, but was later ruled out.
The one suspect, James William Lewis, had been on law enforcement’s radar for a while. He wrote an extortion letter to Johnson & Johnson. Although he denied any involvement in the poisonings, he admitted to the blackmail and was sentenced to 10 years.
Renewed Interest in the Tylenol Murders
About 25 years after the murders, there was revived interest, especially from the FBI. With advancements in technology and in DNA testing, an investigation into the killer’s identity was launched. The FBI stated:
This review was prompted, in part, by the recent 25th anniversary of this crime and the resulting publicity. Further, given the many recent advances in forensic technology, it was only natural that a second look be taken at the case and recovered evidence.
Unfortunately, with this second look into the case, the evidence didn’t lead them to any new suspects. James Lewis is still considered the primary suspect. Lewis passed away in 2023.
Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders examines the deaths, the initial case, the suspects, and even looks at the possibility that the pharmaceutical company was at fault. The three-part series on Netflix, directed by Yotam Guendelman and Ari Pines, reviews the murders, the evidence, and the possible theories behind the tragic deaths.
The one positive thing this did was cause pharmaceutical companies to safeguard their products. Pill bottles are sealed with a foil seal on the mouth of the bottle, and quite often, a plastic seal is placed around the bottle’s neck, too. After the Tylenol murders, nobody could be too cautious with medicine anymore.
