Many people who handled the evidence in 1982 told the Tribune they didnt wear gloves because it wasnt part of their agencys protocol at the time. A new book by a former Johnson & Johnson employee suggests the Tylenol poisonings, which killed seven people in the Chicago area in 1982, took place in the company's production or distribution. It didnt take long for Fellmann to recognize the pressures and expectations under which the newly formed task force would operate. . Former Chicago police Detective Jimmy Gildea, shown at his Chicago home in July, investigated the death of Tylenol victim Paula Prince. 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. Sadly, the tragedies that resulted from the Tylenol poisonings can never be undone. They came up with nothing. (Stan Policht / Chicago Tribune). A drugstore clerk removes Tylenol capsules from the shelves of a pharmacy Sept. 30, 1982, in New York City after reports of tampering. Fahner thought state officials needed to be even more aggressive, despite the consequences for the investigation. Within hours of finding cyanide in the capsules that killed three people in the northwest suburbs, the Cook County medical examiners office held a news conference on the morning of Sept. 30, 1982, to warn people about the potential poison in their medicine cabinets. See where the eight tainted Tylenol bottles were purchased or discovered. 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. Dr. Howard Markel. Im absolutely sure about that. Photo by Yvonne Hemsey/Getty Images. Authorities already considered the womens deaths to be cyanide related by the time they contacted Fahner during his campaign event. It was 1982. (Don Casper / Chicago Tribune), People were terrified, Fahner said. Thats because nobody was keeping track of who was buying cyanide, Wolnik said. And he grabs the pills, picks them up in his hand, dumps a whole bunch of them in his hand and starts sniffing, Ford recalled. Three of the deaths occurred in Arlington Heights, where police told NBC Chicago last year that they still have the pills, bottles and boxes as evidence. 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. Bottles that werent tossed out were sent to J&J, the FDA and various government laboratories for testing. 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. There was no clear leader. In 1989, the FDA established federal guidelines for manufacturers to make all such products tamper-proof. Siekmann drove to a state laboratory in the city with the bottle on the seat next to him. Chemists working for the Illinois Public Health Department in Chicago test the contents of Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules. These packaging protections soon became the industry standard for all over-the-counter medications. He was released in 1995 after serving only 13 years. The FBIs involvement puzzled some because, as far as anyone knew, the federal agency didnt have jurisdiction in the case. Ford said he told the renowned pathologist the bottle was on the vanity, and Stein, who wasnt wearing gloves, went to grab it. The Tylenol murders launched a massive criminal investigation. Marquette 10 is one of a thousand reasons why theres tension, personal jealousy, personal ambition, jurisdictional turf fights. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune). 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. None matched. Tylenol murders investigators pursue new charges in 40-year case. NBC News has not reviewed those documents. My theory is that Anna is a diabetic and had just come home from a . As the 40th anniversary of the 1982 Tylenol murders approaches, investigators are working with prosecutors on a now-or-maybe-never effort to hold a longtime suspect responsible for the. Subscribe to Here's the Deal, our politics newsletter. 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. Ford said he quickly interrupted. It didnt take long for the Tylenol murders to become national news. The agents didnt bother to pretend that labeling rules were their true motivation for getting involved. Most working detectives really dont trust the FBI, and the FBI doesnt trust us, Ford said. The investigation would fork, taking the FBI and Chicago police down vastly different paths. Nearly three weeks after the murders, for example, the FBI asked Chicago Tribune columnist Bob Greene to write a column about Mary Kellerman and include specific details such as the familys home address and the location of the little girls grave, with her parents permission. 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. Security cameras were scarce in suburban Chicago in 1982, but investigators checked the images that existed. I realized I was in the deep end of the pool, he said. What are the Tylenol murders? Prince was officially declared dead by the Medical Examiner's office at 6:45 p.m. Investigators discovered a bottle of Extra-Strength Tylenol in her bathroom with one capsule missing and a. IE 11 is not supported. So he thought hed maybe get a lifetime supply of ham. Come to 1425 Armstrong Lane.. 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. She has received numerous national honors for her work. Oct. 2, 1982: CBS 2's Phil Walters reports on the investigation into the Tylenol poisonings. The Tylenol task force may be no exception, he said, but the tensions didnt affect the overall effort. According to the state police memo obtained by the Tribune, the FDAs work traced the cyanide from the tainted capsules to Fisher Scientific, a Massachusetts-based lab supply company, which distributed that particular batch in 1978. If people threw out their Tylenol, authorities would never know the full extent of the tampering. 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. And Fahner wasnt the only source of tensions. Lewis, who now lives in the Boston area, has long denied any involvement in the murders and has never been charged. 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. Their departments relationship with the FBI had been rocky for decades, but it was at a particularly low point in September 1982. 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. Our highest responsibility has always been the health and safety of our consumers," Johnson & Johnson said in a statement to NBC News. 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. 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. 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. They looked at accused shoplifters, including a man charged with attempting to steal 28 Tylenol bottles from a Wheaton pharmacy in August. Please check your inbox to confirm. 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. Introduction Heading link Copy link. Critics who had prematurely announced the death of the brand Tylenol were now praising the companys handling of the matter. 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. Back then, bottles of pills did not have tamper-proof seals, just a cotton ball stuffed inside. Now she's sharing her story for the first. The bottles, however, needed to be tested before they could say with certainty. Here's what to know about the history of the case and the latest developments. Siekmann, who had been working since 8 a.m., believed some capsules were tainted from the first time he laid eyes on them. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune). The operation was primarily staffed by female agents who answered phone calls and assessed information while their male counterparts worked in the field. And it took over my life.. And as soon as we got the word out that Tylenol had been laced, people said, What do we do? I said, Well, if youve got any in your medicine cabinet either put it in a plastic bag and keep it or throw it away. The White House, however, had ordered the FBI to find a way into the case amid growing public panic. 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. 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. Joe Murphy told NBC Chicago last year. The red cap was easily flipped open, with nothing but a little piece of cotton left to cover the capsules. 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. Indeed, the Johnson & Johnson recall became a classic case study in business schools across the nation. If you are curious, come to a small house on a quiet, winding street in Elk Grove Village. Male murderers are more likely, in general, to kill randomly and on a large scale. But if they kept the bottles in their medicine cabinets, more people could die. Siekmann didnt wear gloves. President Reagan wanted the FBI in the investigation, retired FBI Special Agent Roy Lane Jr. told the Tribune. The task force knew the mechanism behind the murders, Fellmann said. And when the sitting attorney general was indicted on tax fraud charges, Thompson appointed Fahner to fill the post. Chemists working for the Illinois Public Health Department in Chicago test the contents of Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules. 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. With absolute certainty, they can say the following: Records show at least four fingerprints were found during the initial investigation. Several victims families told the Tribune they didnt hear much from investigators after those initial interviews. A long-planned meeting with DuPage prosecutors also was pushed back in the spring. His brother and sister-in-law, Stanley, 25, and Theresa, 19, of Lisle, Illinois, rushed to his home to console their loved ones. Investigators quickly dismissed the possibility that the killer was targeting a single victim and the other bottles were contaminated to make it harder to solve that murder. Illinois Attorney General Ty Fahner talks about the Tylenol deaths on Oct. 1, 1982. The victims had all taken Tylenol-branded acetaminophen capsules that had been laced with potassium cyanide. 6 Amazon travel essentials for your next getaway, starting at $12. You shove those up my nose again, youre going to get socked in the face. Lane would think of that line a year later when, without prompting, a suspect called him and offered to help solve the case. The pills were sold at stores in suburban Chicago, and bottles of Tylenol were immediately pulled from shelves to be tested by health departments for the presence of cyanide. And they talked to veterinarians about any unusual animal poisonings, thinking the murderer may have tested the chemical on pets first. Deputy coroner Siekmann recalled going to Winfield to pick up the Tylenol collected from Reiners house a few hours after her death. For example, Johnson & Johnson quickly established that the cyanide lacing occurred after cases of Tylenol left the factory. 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