Chicago, IL – A Chicago-area tragedy that began with a 12-year-old’s headache on Sept. 28, 1982, set off a nationwide panic, reshaped how Americans buy medicine, and remains unsolved 43 years later.
According to archival reports from the Chicago Tribune and PBS NewsHour, Mary Kellerman, 12, died after taking an Extra-Strength Tylenol capsule later found to contain potassium cyanide. By the next day, six more victims — Adam Janus, Stanley Janus, Theresa Janus, Mary McFarland, Paula Prince and Mary Reiner — had also died after ingesting cyanide-laced capsules purchased at stores around the Chicago area.
Investigators determined the tainted capsules came from multiple lots and stores, indicating the killer allegedly removed bottles from shelves, inserted the poison and returned them. Authorities urged consumers to stop taking Tylenol as the scope widened. Johnson & Johnson halted production and advertising and, on Oct. 5, 1982, launched a nationwide recall of an estimated 31 million bottles. The company later reintroduced the product with triple-seal, tamper-evident packaging — a fix that industrywide standards soon adopted.
No one has been charged in the murders. According to FBI and court records, New York City resident James W. Lewis was convicted of extortion for a letter that claimed responsibility and demanded $1 million to stop the killings; he repeatedly denied carrying out the poisonings and was never charged in the deaths. Another man, Roger Arnold, was investigated but not charged; he was later imprisoned for an unrelated killing. The alleged perpetrator of the Tylenol murders has never been identified.
The case spurred federal anti-tampering laws and accelerated a shift from gelatin capsules to caplets, reforms still visible on drugstore shelves today. As Chicago marks the anniversary today, law enforcement has periodically revisited the evidence with modern forensic tools. Anyone with credible information is urged to contact authorities.
This article was produced by a journalist and may include AI-assisted input. All content is reviewed for accuracy and fairness.
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