[News] What are the Tylenol murders? Inside new efforts to solve the 40-year-old case

[FazzNoth]

Investigators say new evidence may help finally solve the case of seven people who died after ingesting Tylenol laced with cyanide in the Chicago area in 1982.

It sounds like an urban legend, but it was chillingly real in 1982.

Tylenol capsules laced with cyanide that were sold in the Chicago suburbs were linked to the deaths of seven people, leading to a nationwide panic that had the Food and Drug Administration advising consumers across the country to stop taking Tylenol products.

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.

Here's what to know about the history of the case and the latest developments.

 

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.

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.

Local police departments and state’s attorneys offices have been trying to crack the case for 40 years.

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. 

“We still receive tips that are being evaluated and investigated. We also are still we’re looking at emerging forensic technology,” Sgt. Joe Murphy told NBC Chicago last year.

The Illinois State Police told NBC News the investigation remains ongoing. 

A decadeslong investigation has centered around Massachusetts man James Lewis, 76, who was 36 at the time of the murders.

Lewis admitted to the FBI that he sent a ransom letter at the time to Tylenol's parent company, Johnson & Johnson, according to reporting by The Chicago Tribune.

The publication reported this week that it has obtained video and thousands of documents outlining law enforcement's current case and a possible motive for the killings. NBC News has not reviewed that evidence.

 

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