Introduction

It was September of 1982, and civilians would be stunned to realize that the household drug of Tylenol had been tied to the deaths of seven. This would become known as The Tylenol Murders, which took place in the Chicagoland area. The case recalled over 31 million capsule bottles nationwide. Remaining unsolved, The Tylenol Murders are one of America’s most influential pharmaceutical scandals. Here’s everything you need to know regarding this medical mystery

The Case

Only 12 years old, Mary Kellerman was the first and youngest to be hospitalized on September 29, 1982. Kellerman suffered from a sore throat and runny nose, so her parents gave her one Tylenol Extra-Strength capsule to help soothe her symptoms. Less than 10 minutes later, her father checked on her and found her collapsed on the bathroom floor. Mary’s parents rushed her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead by 7 a.m. that same day.

Following Kellerman’s death on the 29th, a 27-year-old postal worker named Adam Janus died in Arlington Heights of a heart attack. It wasn’t until the visit of his brother and sister-in-law, Stanley and Therese Janus, that public health officials began to grow concerned. Both Therese and Stanley reported having headaches after visiting Adam’s home to console family members during his death. The couple each took two Tylenol capsules from Adam Janus’s medicine cabinet to combat their discomfort. However, Stanley died that very day, and Therese passed just two days later. This triggered an investigation led by health examiner and nurse Helen Jensen. She visited the Janus family home to conduct the examination. In the home, Helen found both a Tylenol bottle that was missing six pills and a receipt indicating it had been purchased that day. Turning over the bottle to lead investigators and medical toxicologists, it was tested and found to contain three times the fatal amount of cyanide—a harmful chemical known to cause cardiac arrest, seizures, and coma.

Over the next few days, three more people would die from mysterious causes: 35-year-old Mary McFarland, 35-year-old Paula Prince, and 27-year-old Mary Weiner. It was later found that all of them had taken Tylenol shortly before they died. With cyanide confirmed in the tested Tylenol bottles, authorities held a press conference advising the public not to take any Tylenol capsules. They also ordered all capsules to be pulled from pharmacy shelves, triggering panic throughout the U.S.

Possible Suspects & Safety Precautions

Before the case could be settled, Johnson & Johnson, the main producer of Tylenol Extra Strength Capsules, received an anonymous ransom letter. The letter included a short passage saying, “ So far I have spent less than $50… if you want to stop the killings then, wire 1 million to this bank account.” FBI agents ordered Johnson & Johnson not to comply as fingerprints were traced on the seal of the envelope, connecting them to a man named James Lewis. James Lewis was not unfamiliar with law enforcement as he was previously charged with murder in 1978. However, ultimately he was ruled out as a suspect in the killings as he was in New York City at the time of the seven deaths. This would not free him, though, as he was charged with extortion and six counts of mail fraud, serving 12 years in federal prison.

Amidst the conflict, Johnson & Johnson halted product manufacturing and distributed warning labels after being sued by the Janus family. Losing over $50 million in company expenses, Johnson & Johnson worked with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to introduce new tamper-proof packaging in an attempt to regain public trust.

Safety seals such as foils, shrink bands, and cap locks were implemented. The capsules were changed as well, being altered to caplets, a new combination of capsules and tablet medication, which ensured pills could not be tampered with. In 1983 Congress also passed a law that made product tampering a federal crime. However, it wasn’t until 1989 that tamper-proof packaging became a governmental expectation enforced by the FDA, an expectation that is still enforced today.

Conclusion

The Tylenol Murders raised awareness of potential drug poisonings, leading to the implementation of measures such as tamper-proof packaging and stricter FDA regulations. Although the case never had a confirmed perpetrator, James Lewis remained the primary suspect and continued to be viewed with suspicion until his death. If you wish to learn more about the case, check out Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders streaming now on Netflix.

Works Cited:

• Markel, H. (2014, September 29). How the Tylenol murders of 1982 changed the way we consume medication. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/tylenol-murders-1982
• The Chicago Tylenol Murders. (2022, September 28). Chicago History Museum. https://www.chicagohistory.org/tylenol-murders/
• Todd, B., & Jones, W. (2024, November 17). The 1982 Tylenol Murders: An Enduring Mystery. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/17/us/the-1982-tylenol-murders-an-enduring-mystery
• White, P. (2025, April 21). Netflix To Stream ‘Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders’ Docuseries. Deadline. https://deadline.com/2025/04/netflix-cold-case-tylenol-murders-series-1236372200/nytimes.com/2023/07/10/us/james-lewis-tylenol-poisonings-dead.html