Advances in technology have allowed investigators to determine the postmark date on the extortion letter written by Lewis that demands $1 million be wired to a bank account "if you want to stop the killing," according to the Chicago Tribune's review of the documents. I do think it created a lot of problems because youre always thinking theres somebody doing something behind your back.. The police questioned him and searched his home, they turned up several interesting connections. Next week: Police investigate a poor mans James Bond, and an eighth person dies. Most came from a banking service that snapped a photograph of anyone writing a check. Left: 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. The most promising leads involved people doing curious things with chemicals. The company, however, did not keep records of where the products were shipped. When the column ran, Severns knew instantly that the authorities had planted the story. The city's most notorious unsolved murdersthe killing of seven people with cyanide-laced Tylenols in 1982is back in the news, as the seating of a grand jury is 1 2 Only really frivolous things went in that other pile, she said. Dr. Howard Markel writes a monthly column for the PBS NewsHour, highlighting momentous historical events that continue to shape modern medicine. The bottles, however, needed to be tested before they could say with certainty. These packaging protections soon became the industry standard for all over-the-counter medications. Manufacturer Johnson & Johnson recalled 31 million Tylenol bottles as panic spread nationwide. 40 years later, Kasia Janus is sharing. Within a year, and after an investment of more than $100 million, Tylenols sales rebounded to its healthy past and it became, once again, the nations favorite over-the-counter pain reliever. 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. The guy was a little wimpy, but his ham did stink.. Stanley died that very day and Theresa died two days later. His task force partners the FBI and state police had blindsided the Elk Grove Village detective, and he was angry. NBC News reached out to Lewis and did not receive a response. He investigated the Tylenol poisonings in the Janus family and later served as police chief in Island Lake. What was my dads favorite color? J.J. Bittenbinder a tough-talking, mustachioed detective who would later gain fame as a TV safety expert served as a liaison to Fahners task force in Des Plaines. Arlington Heights police Chief Rodney Kath, second from left, works with other members of the Tylenol task force at its Des Plaines headquarters in 1982. She would be the seventh and final person to die from taking the poisoned medication. Daniel Walker and several Chicago aldermen convicted in Operation Silver Shovel. And 35 years later, this murder mystery is still . I realized I was in the deep end of the pool, he said. (Charles Osgood / Chicago Tribune). While acetaminophen the active ingredient in the top-selling pain reliever was a fine white powder, these were filled with a grainy, translucent substance. What was he liked as a boss?, She added: Good and bad, I want to hear those stories, because its a reflection of who I am., Hurricane Ian: South Carolina and Florida comb wreckage to assess deadly toll, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. My theory is that Anna is a diabetic and had just come home from a . They told stories of information hoarding, turf wars and glory seeking even when there was none to be had. Some of the investigators started using it privately, too. 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. Former Chicago police Superintendent Richard Brzeczek told the Tribune he believed Fahners selection was purely political, done specifically because of the November election. Within a week, her death would panic the entire nation. "Ladies, you ever been harassed for something for 40 years that you had nothing to do with?" Some investigators on the case, including a few still involved with it, considered the rendered profile too vague to be of any real use. Some worked at the medical examiners office, which played a key role in figuring out the cyanide connection. 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 discovery, so far, has been more of a curse than a blessing for present-day investigators, who have spent years obtaining DNA samples from investigators, public health officials, scientists and medical professionals who came in contact with the poisoned Tylenol. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune). Records show law enforcement has spent the past several years dealing almost entirely with forensic evidence. Fahner stepped off the stage and ducked behind a blue velvet curtain, where a state police officer briefed him. So I stopped by the house on the way home, introduced myself and tried to answer any questions they had, he 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. Subscribe to Heres the Deal, our politics (Earl Gustie / Chicago Tribune). When that happened, the suspect would make contact with an investigator and offer to help solve the case. Hearing that threat, the detectives said, they banged on the door and announced themselves as police. Seven people between 12 and 35 died after ingesting cyanide-laced Tylenol pills in the Chicago area in 1982. (Josh Reynolds/AP) The investigation into the 1982 Tylenol murders was pretty dormant when an FBI . Elmhurst police Detective Herb Hogberg interviewed a chemist who had been laid off from the company in recent months. Chicago police Officer Sam Barsevich, left, takes inventory of Tylenol bottles that residents turned in at his station on Oct. 2, 1982. Among them was Lane, a well-respected federal agent who would help put away all kinds of criminals during his nearly 30-year career, including mob boss Sam Carlisi, former Illinois Gov. Fahner had worked for James Thompson in the U.S. attorneys office, handling some of the citys biggest federal corruption cases. A lot of people who didnt like me or didnt like Thompson or my association were taking shots, Fahner said. Following the same theory, investigators took pictures of everyone who attended the victims funerals and set up time-lapse cameras at grave sites to see if they could capture anyone acting unusual. The Tylenol investigation began as a loose collaboration among detectives in Arlington Heights and Elk Grove Village, the towns where the first three deaths were identified. Come to 1425 Armstrong Lane.. Members of the Illinois State Police join, as well. What are the Tylenol murders? The death toll now stood at five: Reiner, McFarland, Adam Janus of Arlington Heights, his brother Stanley Janus of Lisle and 12-year-old Mary Kellerman of Elk Grove Village. Ford said he told the renowned pathologist the bottle was on the vanity, and Stein, who wasnt wearing gloves, went to grab it. He would gravitate toward someone with a blue suit and red tie, the quintessential 1980s-style power suit. . I said, Agent, agent. He hangs up, opens the door and we come in like gangbusters, Gildea said. I dont know what he thought. She also told CNN she had invited many people to a memorial service and celebration of life luncheon honoring her father in hopes that shed learn things she never got the chance to because of the murder. Two main suspects in this unsolved case are James Lewis and Roger Arnold, who had both been linked to this occurrence in some way. Kasia said she long blamed herself for her fathers death, even though she was just in preschool when it happened. 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. The attorney general had no authority to intervene, but Fahner had been an outstanding federal prosecutor, a well-liked director of the state police and an effective leader of major criminal investigations. And I want people to know that, yeah, this was my family, and it has changed all of us.. Over the next few days, three more strange deaths occurred: 35-year-old Mary McFarland of Elmhurst, Illinois, 35-year-old Paula Prince of Chicago, and 27-year-old Mary Weiner of Winfield, Illinois. The Tylenol case marked one of the earliest uses of the approach. Tensions flared, even among law enforcement personnel sincerely dedicated to the job. Many people who handled potential evidence in 1982 didnt wear gloves because it wasnt protocol at the time. So as we organized, there were about 10, 15 different avenues of investigations to pursue, like disgruntled employees, former employees, lawsuits, Lane said. And my next thought was that there are too many cooks in the kitchen.. In those early days, the best leads came from the Tylenol bottles themselves. 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. (Phil Greer / Chicago Tribune). Following the same theory, investigators took pictures . Their departments relationship with the FBI had been rocky for decades, but it was at a particularly low point in September 1982. We didnt get anything, but we were kicking around ideas like that.. Roger Arnold worked at a jewel warehouse with the father of one of the victims named Mary Reiner. Elk Grove Village Detective Michael Severns said investigators were so intent on chasing leads that they at times lost sight of the grieving families. He held news conferences, sometimes twice a day, to meet the insatiable media demands. And by days end, flight attendant Paula Princes body would be discovered and tests would show that a Tylenol bottle inside her home contained four cyanide-laced capsules. Each participant has a packet of information that authorities use to explain their findings. And, in the decades since, scientific advances have allowed investigators to detect DNA profiles on at least three of the tainted bottles and the capsules inside. Even after he retired from the FBI in 1996, he didnt let it go. Members of the media the same people who were constantly pestering him for information nicknamed Fahner Tylenol Ty. It stuck. The program went far beyond any database previously used by law enforcement in Illinois. In Illinois, some towns began pulling bottles from the store shelves and sent police officers down the street with bullhorns encouraging people to throw out their Tylenol. It was standing room only inside the Arlington Heights Police Department for the first meeting of what would become the Tylenol task force. Arlington Heights police Chief Rodney Kath, second from left, works with other members of the Tylenol task force at its Des Plaines headquarters in 1982. McNeil Consumer Products, a subsidiary of the health care giant, Johnson & Johnson, manufactured Tylenol. Fahner thought state officials needed to be even more aggressive, despite the consequences for the investigation. He regaled reporters with all kinds of stories during that final interview, but none seemed to amuse him more than the unhappy Hormel ham man. The Tribune interviewed nearly two dozen members of the task force, many of whom confirmed the reports veracity and added their own perspective. When the family returned home, both Adam's brother Stanley and Stanely's wife Theresa took a Tylenol, resulting in both of their deaths. In 2010, DuPage County prosecutors filed a sealed affidavit stating investigators had found DNA on three bottles and the capsules inside, according to documents obtained by the Tribune. In 1989, the FDA established federal guidelines for manufacturers to make all such products tamper-proof. The new timeline suggests Lewis wrote the letter before the public knew the deaths were linked to the tainted Tylenol pills, according to the Chicago Tribune. He brought personal knowledge (as the former state police director) and experience regarding a criminal investigation. Ford and his partner Jimmy Gildea both said they tried to stop him because evidence technicians hadnt been to the scene yet, but Stein brushed off their concerns. 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. Joe McQuaid, a task force investigator with the state police who had worked for Fahner when he was director, acknowledged it was an unorthodox setup. Severns confronted people at both agencies, who blamed each other for keeping him in the dark. Tylenol Ty, Ford said. A native of the south suburbs, Gutowski received a master's degree in public affairs reporting from the University of Illinois at Springfield and is a graduate of Southern Illinois University. Im absolutely sure about that. The Tylenol task force may be no exception, he said, but the tensions didnt affect the overall effort. (Ovie Carter / Chicago Tribune). The effort was Herculean, said Jeremy Margolis, a former U.S. attorney who was assigned to the task force. The attorney general largely stopped campaigning after joining the task force, but his face was on TV every night. While I was not born yet and don't personally remember the Chicago Tylenol Murders of 1982, I do feel like I have experienced some of the anxiety that has never gone away. However, investigators believe circumstantial evidence is enough to make this a "chargeable" case, but that decision would have to come from prosecutors, according to documents reviewed by the Chicago Tribune. NBC News has not reviewed those documents. If Fahner had any chance of keeping his office in November, he had to build enthusiasm among conservative voters in the suburbs. Who would be next? But on this unseasonably warm October morning, during a separate meeting between the FBI and state police, Lane was one of several investigators who gathered to brainstorm possible motives behind the crime. Forty years ago, cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules led to the deaths of seven people all around the Chicago area. We were looking for somebody that really looked like they didnt belong. 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