 Video
News report on the Tylenol murders
On September 29, 1982, a 12-year-old Chicago girl woke up with a sore throat, took a capsule of Extra-Strength Tylenol, and fell dead on her bathroom floor. Within 15 hours, six more Chicago-area people were poisoned by Tylenol capsules, which were found to have been tainted with cyanide. All would be dead by October 1. Within 24 hours of the first death, authorities directed the public to stop taking the pain-killer and more than 100 investigators were on the case. McNeil Consumer Products, the division of Johnson & Johnson Company that manufacturers Tylenol, also acted quickly and decisively. All 31 million bottles of Tylenol capsules were taken off the markets. The company tested over one million of these bottles, and discovered three more bottles that had been laced with cyanide. All 31 million bottles were eventually destroyed. In November, Johnson & Johnson received a letter demanding $1 million to "stop the killings." The writer of the letter--James Lewis--was arrested in New York but investigators found no evidence linking him to the Tylenol slayings. He was convicted of extortion and sentenced to two 10-year prison sentences. No one was ever charged with the Tylenol poisonings and the case remains open today. Police believe the murderer had purchased the Tylenol bottles, tainted them with cyanide, and then secretly returned them to store shelves. A major legacy of the case was the introduction of tamper-resistant packaging on non-prescription drugs and food products.
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Added: May 16, 2007 |
| Category: Documentary |
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