« Casefile True Crime

Case 118: The Chicago Tylenol Murders

2019-07-21 | 🔗
After seven residents of Chicago passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in 1982, authorities discovered they shared a common link. In the hours before their deaths, each of the individuals had taken Tylenol branded paracetamol.  --- Episode narrated by the Anonymous Host Episode researched by Milly Raso and Anonymous Host Episode written by Milly Raso For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-118-the-chicago-tylenol-murders
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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The shy for this episode on Europe or on our website. On Wednesday September. Twenty nine ninety. Ninety two in the Illinois suburb Valentine Heart too Seven year old, Hugh S posed to work a random JANUS felt the symptoms of a cold coming on and decided to take the day, off from work. After picking these two children from pre school, he visited a local jus supermarket the purchase and pain relief medication. He chose de capture bottle of extra strength, tylenol and the counter brand of paracetamol used to treat pain and favour that turn time eight Blanche and informed his wife. He was going to take to tylenol and lie down when she would to check on him a short while later she found out in bed, convulsing, paramedics, boy called,
and by the time they arrived to, the JANUS has Adam State at worsened significantly He was completely unresponsive. He's pupils were fixed and dilated his breathing lighted and his blood pressure was alarmingly low. Rushed at him to North West Community hospital. He arrived in a comatose day, It died in the emergency ward. Shortly thereafter, at three fifteen p m the but those medical director Doktor Thomas Kin, declared at it. The cause of death is cardiac arrest, but was unsure what prompted the fatal condition in the otherwise young and healthy father. Doktor came struggled explain his uncertain diagnosis to grieving members of atoms family and they left confused and devastated, the sudden loss degree
great in vain dead items, Arlington high time to support his wife and children and begin making funeral plans. later that afternoon, Adams. Twenty five year old, a younger brother Stanley, was either come with a grave induced headache. He informed he's worth. Nineteen year old, Tereza entered the couple, went in search of a remedy, finding a full bottle of extra strength tall in all on the kitchen, Canada, Stanley took two capitals, as did Tereza ass. She also felt on well minutes later Stanley grasped his chest and collapse to the full, his eyes rode back into his head as foam started pouring out of his mouth. By the time the merchant these services arrived in new seven minutes later, Teresa
also fallen violently eel and started having a seizure, stainless pulse, wakened and he's breathing became heavy and delighted wants to raises seizure subsided, her body stiffened and her breathing decreased to just forward five intakes per minute before she stopped braiding on her own altogether. back at North West Community Hospital doctors, Thomas Kent, Was getting ready to leave work for the day when a nurse informed him tat, the JANUS family were being brought back in doktor came presume something must have happened to atoms parents as that had been weight with distress over the unexpected death of their son. Not afternoon. The nurse explained no, it's his brother. Doktor king had met Stanley JANUS earlier that day and was surprised to hear that the healthy six
The tall young men had suddenly fallen. You presume he must have fainted from grief. The nurse informed him. they are doing so they are and they working on his wife, too the remaining members of the JANUS family were placed under observation in hospital and even give their lost rods in fear that they too would succumb to the unidentified illness that had struck Adam Stanley and Tereza. Multiple explanations for the signal. were considered, including carbon monoxide poisoning and botulism array. around a potentially fatal top of food poisoning, but both were invested added and ruled out the search. consisting of an investigator for the Cook County medical Examiner office. Several local police officers Darlington hearts. Nurse Helen Jensen was sent to widen,
Quarantine house to look for possible contaminants nurse and soon came across a bottle of tylenol and recalled the station she had with Adams, grading widow, who had explained that the last thing her husband did before falling unconscious was take some of the pain killers. Stanley and Tereza had reportedly taken some two suspecting that there was something wrong with the medication Jensen confiscated, the bottle and the search party returned to the North West Community Hospital. where they land Stanley JANUS had since passed away. He's
Teresa was in an extremely critical and unstable condition. That same not Arlington, hearts fire Lieutenant Philip capitally received a Franco. from his mother in law Marge do. of her friend Jean Kellerman had died. Suddenly that morning and she sought an explanation for the tragedy. The cat men's lived in the neighbouring suburb evoke growth village. So Philip rang a fella firefighter who worked in the region. Rigid k worth
Richard was aware of the incident as earlier that day made an impromptu visit to his fire station to collect a mile and why all their other overheard radio chatter about the peculiar death of twelve year old, Mary Kellerman. I was earlier as dawn broke it six. Thirty, feverish Mary complained to her parents that she had a sore throat. Runny knows and headache Dennis into Gina Kellerman decided to keep her home from school and gave her one extra strength, Tylenol two ways her comfort a short while lighter Dennis heard a heavy thud emanate from the bathroom and went to investigate Doing he's pajama, clad daughter unconscious on the floor, but it torn paramedics arrived, Mary was in cardiac arrest, she was rushed,
who will actually and brothers medical center where she died at nine. Fifty six, I am heart attack. drug and an undiagnosed terminal condition were adopted as possible causes of death with more sinister speculation centred on the Kellerman family, an investigator interviewed, marries father and the police have visited their home, but I am how they did nothing out of order. The paramedics, Traded Mary compiled a report which noted that the twelve year out had taken Tylenol shortly before her collapse, given popularity of the painkiller. This detail didn't stand out as particularly meaningful. as firefighter richer decay were three lighted. The circumstances if marries death to Philip capitally over the fine that not Philip growing tracing lay concerned,
he had been monitoring a police radio throughout the day and overheard report have a string of bizarre tragedies in his Arlington hot district in which two brothers had died, and one of their wives was left in a critical condition. Philip noticed the JANUS families didn't shared remarkable similarities to the sudden death of Mary Kellerman as the to Firefox Compare notes. Richard noticed the common feature in all four incidents and remarked. this is a wild stab, but maybe it's Tylenol, Richard and Phillips theory reached team at North West Community, who were already attributing the JANUS his illness to the tall and all but had yet to connect Eric Kellerman to the case the tunnel
Nah seized from the two times were compared by fifty two bottles, where the brands extra strength, variety purchased from Jus supermarkets within Chicago's western suburbs and marked with batch number and say to wait eight zero, the remaining red and white capsules inside the bottles were poured out. Relation Strong odour of bitter Romans, the group, Mediately knew what this peculiar sign indicated. Cyanide. When ingested saw, I know it blocks the bodies, ability to absorb oxygen, nausea, headache and dizziness occur within minutes and can be followed by the poisons total silence. Shortness of breath, cherry red, skin, discoloration and dramatic shifts in hot right or blood pressure, progressing to cause, sages, Coma and
Cook candies chief toxicologist Mako Schaefer conducted an immediate analysis of the tall at all. He noticed several of the capitals was slightly discoloured and swollen in the red colored off. Furthermore, Tylenol powder was typically what Patrie and did not dissolving water, but the contents of these abnormal capsules were moist, gray, lumpy, crystalline and completely soluble testing of this. On nine substance confirmed it was Potass cyanide six, if the remaining capsules in their Kellerman bottle and four from Adam geniuses were laced with cyanide. five to seven micrograms of the poison was fatal. The tainted capsules were filled with approximately sixty five milligrams, ten thousand
On more than the amount required to kill the average person blood samples of tat and for Mary Kellerman, as well as at immense Daily JANUS came back positive fur lethal amount of so annoyed. Critically, you Tereza JANUS was also found to have the toxic salt in her system. At the time tall and all the best selling nonprescription pain relief are in the United States. The capture over I was especially popular as it was in that Asia to swallow than the brains tablet form nineteen eighty, two alone tall and all learned, its proprietor, Johnson and Johnson, approximately four hundred million dollars in sales and claimed thirty seven percent of the over the counter pain relief market share. Tall and all made up one fifth of the company's total product revenue, which include
a range of medications. First, aid supplies, baby products and skin care. Johnson and Johnson were unaware of the emergency unfolding in Chicago's west. Until a local report, I contacted the company seeking comment on the debts. The seven member strategy tat was established to deal with the crisis, maintaining that protecting the public was their primary concern, followed by salvaging their brand company officials met with detective in the affected areas before launching an internal investigation to track down the cause of the contamination. meantime. They re called this The maiden naughty four thousand two bottles of tall and all in circulation from batch him see two eight eight zero, widespread public, panic, Tylenol hysteria in shoot them
we shall examine his office was bombarded with fine calls from worried logos who had recently taken the painkiller, while paramedics were equipped with soil nor the antidote kids has an influx of patients flooded. Regional hospitals, reporting, symptoms of poisoning local church groups into the boy scouts, though not through neighborhoods, to help spread the word about the contamination police patrols, crews, the straits announcing the thread Nova loudspeakers the health department plastered the front wars of local hangs with notices that read this say just to alert you about a contaminant that has been found in tall in all products. We strongly urge you to stop using these products immediately, that Listen and Johnson's Washington based manufacturing plant, where batch him see to wait, zero had originated a quality control
sample of the shipments tall and all powder was analyzed and came back claim. company representatives to show the public that did not store, saw annoyed at any of their factories and was certain The contamination occurred elsewhere, some speculate did the poisoning was an intentional active sabotaged by vindictive employee, but this was quickly curtailed by the company who explained the majority of tall analysed production was carried out by machinery, news at the tall and all poisoning spread police department. And hospital staff throughout Illinois initiated inquiries into recent sudden nor suspicious debts in their regions that might be linked to cases emerge. One no harassed and the other in Wingfield.
At four p m on Wednesday September. Twenty nine office work. I marry Macfarlane complained to her colleagues said the Illinois Bill Phone Center of a tremendous headache. It was an unusual one year out was a periodic migraine sufferer and as such, carried a teen in her purse filled with a range of pain, relief. Medication me We had stopped up her supply that day earlier purchasing a fifty km sure bottle of extra strength, torn all from the Woolworth Bobbin DAWN Store in the Yorktown shopping center. Wench filled a headache coming on at work. Mary disappeared into the bright, grew to take some of her medicine. she re emerged a short time later and informed her colleagues that she felt noisy yes and dizzy before she collapsed against the table. Mary was rushed to goods
Merit hospital hospital. He me grove damage. She died at died. Three eighteen, the following morning, the It gives the lie to searched the team in marrying Macfarlane purse and fanned ten tall and all capsules amongst the assorted pills inside father them contained cyanide The bottle days pills had originated from was found in a medicine cabinet at her Elmhurst time, with only one of the remaining capsules inside testing positive for the poison, the content, needed bottle, featured a batch number one, nine one zero M day, which was manufactured Johnson and Johnson's Texas based plant around sixty hours after the death of Mary Macfarlane, twenty seven out Mary Reiner, passed away at central to page hospital in Wingfield.
The mother had only just given birth to her. Fourth trout, a baby boy at the same hospital six days earlier. When Mary was discharged following the delivery, the hospital staff handed a bag of autumn to hope with a post recovery which contained a police to pack, as I extra strength, tall and all capsules. on the afternoon of Wednesday September, twenty nine Mary consumed too of the capitals and was struck with. nausea and dizziness her symptoms quickly worsened and she died. The next day, For the remaining six tall and all capsules in her blister to pack were found to contain cyanide. Initial media reports linked to marry, ruin his death to a bottle of regular strength, tall and all she had purchased earlier that day, however, Scott Botz author of the tall in all mafia, concluded
actual, is responsible where the extra strength variety from the hospital blister pack in his book Botz explained that when Mary returned time from the store with her tall and all bottle, she swallowed to pills The police, the pack before emptying the remaining six into the regular strength bottle. None of the regular strength, capsules contained soy, nine meaning the bottle. Had it not been tampered with how the bliss to pack came to be contaminated. remained unclear after learning of Mary Ryan is death. Hospitals throughout the region destroyed Tall and all in their possession, meaning the batch number His pills originated could not be accurately determined. As anticipated, blood samples taken from merriment
All intend Mary Reiner Rana, came back positive for a lethal amount of cyanide, increasing the tall and all death toll to five the crosses climbed at six to take them the following afternoon of fraud. I one went to raise JANUS Janus was taken off lost support after doctors had declared her completely brain dead at five p m that same afternoon, just over twenty miles away in Chicago is old. Tat District Carol Prince arrived at the high rise apartment that belonged to her sister thirty five year old, nodded airlines, flight attendant Paula Carol, health concerns about her sister ass. Her face He had received a phone call from the airline informing them. The polar had failed to show up for work that day Carol, gained access to pull a seventh floor apartment and found her life
body on the floor in the whole way open, bottle of extra strength, tall and all was sitting on the vanity in the nearby bathroom six. If the capsules inside were found to contain cyanide, it was marked with number one. I d write one am which also originated from Johnson and Johnson's Texas Manufacturing plant pull a prince became the seventh victim of what would come to be. Has the Chicago tall and all murders and the first in the city in the contamination zone had expanded from the western suburbs into the heart of Chicago putting milk. of lives at risk. The search of poles apartment uncovered a Walgreens pharmacy forsake for the tall and all they did the evening of Wednesday September. Twenty nine investing
It is determined that, after touching down from an inter state flood at O Hare International Airport, at around eight p m, pull a drive towards her apartment. Stopping at the wall, greens on the corner of war North Avenue and North well straight, where she purchased the tall and all upon arriving home, polar in it certainly took a poisoned casual and collapsed beyond the bathroom door remaining there for two days until her sister found her. The wall store had no security cameras in the aisles to show how the sign idolized Tylenol ended up on the shelf. There was one camera at the front of the store that was part of an automatic teller machines. This camera snapped a pitcher whenever someone withdrew cash, capturing an overview of the entire register area. Nine p m on Wednesday September, twenty nine as a customer,
money from me, I too am a photograph was taken that happened to capture pull the prince had the exact moment she purchased the tall at all. the black and white photo showed her in her flight attendant uniform turning away, from the register to look at a nearby magazine. Rack in the greatest noticed. The caucasian man standing several fade away facing towards her ass. He was positioned in the fire Right background of the image the means facial features was somewhat indistinct, but it was clear that he had a groomed, bead doc here. That was on top and was wearing a lot colored jacket and possibly wide reamed spectacles. The chilling way in which the man appeared to be watching Paula led to police to believe he could be the killer internally, observing His oblivious victim as she purchased the pills he had poisoned.
Those pills originating from multiple batches manufacturing plants and drugstores were now found to be poisoned. Johnson and Johnson announced the tone. nationwide recall level tall on all products, the decision that would cost the company one hundred million dollars. it was a huge task. Given there was an estimated thirty one million bottles in circulation that the company vowed to destroy them. All they offered refunds and exchanges, while halting old tall in all production and advertising. For her, in fifty thousand telex messages were sent to doctors, offices, hospitals and trade groups to warn them of their potential dangers as company Executives appeared on news programmes promising that tall and all were do not return to store shelves until the company had perfected tamper proof, packaging.
Johnson and Johnson also offered a one hundred thousand dollar reward for any information leading to the arrest of conviction of the person or persons responsible for the tampering. At the time there was no active ceiling on any over the candle drug bottles, which made tampering easy the more catch your casings could be pulled apart to allow its contents to be replaced with the two halves then re attached to appear on touched. investigators noted that some of the boys in the capsules were put together more rapidly than others leading to believe that the two or more people were involved with some working. More carefully than others, or was the work of just the one person who didn't have much patience no and of pills were surrendered nationwide. In addition to the Of bottles that led to the victim's debts, Threem
bought or sold in the Chicago area with band to have been poisoned. two were handed in by custom is, while the other was and in an Oscar drugstore in the north, western suburb of Schoenberg. The recall was a success, bringing an abrupt end to the crisis and ensuring the death toll ended at seven Her task force comprised of more than one hundred investigators from fifteen agencies, fronted inquiry Cynthia. What was now regarded a mass murderer investigation with many officers working fifteen to twenty hours shifts with no brakes to expedite efforts to find the culprit. In a surprise, revelation Johnson and Johnson disclosed that they had not been completely full throttle earlier admitting. They did indeed store potassium, so annoyed at some of their factories. The substance.
was used in laboratory based chemical testing, specifically to test pose a dime. the primary bond I used to make Tylenol company visuals insisted days. Labs were in a remote and separate location. Far from the many, factoring sector and were confident. The foreign substance would have been attacked it. If it was added during production as Only a few capsules per bottle were contaminated, and today had come from to set batches and factories seemed unlikely. The poisoning was carried out during the manufacturing process. Nevertheless, investigators interviewed corn and former staff, as well as their friends and families, but to identify any disgruntled suspects who had a deadly vendetta against the company. the contaminated tall and all bottles were manufactured in Washington and Texas in August. Before being dispersed,
nationwide to approximately one hundred distributors, who then turned them over two around eleven thousand retailers, as of the victims, new one another and the cross. This was also related to the Chicago area. It seems likely that the team during occurred after the tall and all was shipped to will annoy, but before it was purchased by the victims. employees at each of the stores. The sought, the poisoned appeals were questioned, as the janitors delivery men and maintenance personnel who had access to the stores but no arrests were made. Many. theories of rose, including, the crimes were committed by one of Johnson and Johnson's competitors or someone who stood the profit from investing in the safety packaging industry recently released prison inmates, psychiatric patients and a porter Reagan. Terrorist group were also investigated as possible suspects
it was even speculated that the murderer only intended to kill one of the victims. The carriage the widespread contamination as a cover up. Consequently, several the victims. Family members, friends and associates were questioned, but they too were eventually cleared investigators considered, whether someone might be seeking reprisal for the death of a loved one caused by a tall and all over those and poured through a years worth of local newspapers. Trying to find reports of such an incident Failing to uncover anything, they spend the papers for something that could give significance to the date of the murders, but once again found nothing of ancient In the meantime, a police hot
I rang off the hook as callers offered up thousands of late, but the process of sifting through this information was hampered by pranks this false confessions and psychics detailing their dubious visions It seemed as though the perpetrator was local to the Chicago area after purchasing or shot. lifting the bottles. They then returned to the stores to discreetly deposit them back on the shelves. No key. Fingerprints were Ross alighted on any of the tempered bottles indicating the killer, may have worn gloves, which would have drawn attention, given that the weather was warm, but no such sightings were reported. As it was a four hour drive between the six effected stores, investigate is believed, the perpetrator distributed the bottles in a single day. Luckily, the day before the poisonings commenced, this.
theory, was supported by an incident reported by two Illinois police officers occurring in the early morning, hours of Tuesday September. Twenty eight. The pair arrived to the Howard, Johnson's MOTO Lodge and restaurant in origin to grab a blood to wait where, on the Ass, he median strip separating the parking lot from the adjacent road. They noticed two cardboard boxes marked with the words extra strength tall and all capitals and the name. Neil, the subsidiary company of Johnson and Johnson responsible for manufacturing tall at all in for me displayed on the boxes indicated that contains thirty bottles of extra strength, call on all one box was open and only twenty four bottles remained inside, two of which were open. A large quantity of white powder was scattered on the ground along
hundreds of empty red and white capture casings, some of which appear to have been emptied and put back together. one office, I handled the items but as the cyanide poisonings had not yet occurred, the pair ultimately disregarded the fond and went to get food as planned as they ate. The officer who touched the items developed a headache and his arm broke out in a painful, rash and started swelling when the pair returned to their vehicle. They stopped to re, examine the tall and all boxes, and this time the second officer handle The items and was soon I become with a headache, dizziness and nausea. When the news that the Chicago Tall and all murders broke two days later, the offices reported their bizarre bond to their superiors and today, Howard, Johnson's Motor Lodge and restaurant parking lot was thoroughly searched
Little remained of the mysterious tall and all boxes and testing of what what recovered came back and negative for cyanide first three memorial services for the Chicago tall on all matters began. On Saturday October two and one hundred and fifty mourners gathered at queen of the Rose Red Catholic Church in Oak grow village to farewell the youngest victim twelve euro. Mary Kellerman, her unexpected death had left her fellow seventh grade classmates and teachers in shock and her grief stricken mother had to be physically supported throughout the service Less than ten miles away, Mary Rana was farewell, but by her loved ones. In her childhood town in Park,
husband, Ed, reminisce about their long into loving marriage, which had resulted in four children, including the new born son. in the neighbouring suburb of Elmhurst, Mary Mcfarland, was remembered as an exceptional single mother to her two sons aged foreign to friends and colleagues, spoke of the positive impact she had on others. From her sense of humour to her work ethic describing her as a good person and a good friend. The scale of loss was particularly immense for the JANUS family who at last three members within days of one another. On Tuesday October, five, a joint funeral service was held for Adam Stanley and Tereza Adams. Four year old daughter kept her hand on her fathers casket, as the catholic Archbishop of Chicago bless them
Three victims and said this is a great tragedy into loss. I wish Your pastor that could relieve you of your burden of sorrow, but I can't at the same time a funeral was held for pole prince in her home town of Omaha, Nebraska, detective state, the age of the funeral. on the look out for anyone uninvited out of place or otherwise acting suspiciously, although several people caught their attention. Nothing further developed Time lapse, surveillance cameras were discreetly position to the cemeteries to monitor the grave saw its twenty four hours a day and remained in place until the devil. Mrs internal mechanisms were frozen body in band cold weather. On Wednesday October six. Eight days in today,
investigation an envelope life Tylenol arrived at the Philadelphia based Office of tall and always manufacturer, make consumer health care. In side. It was a handwritten letter which read gentlemen, as you can see: is easy to place cyanide, but potassium men, sodium into two sitting on store shelves. and since the cyanide is inside the gelatin, it to get buyers to swallow. The bitter pill. Another beauty is cyanide, I quickly the take so very little and there will be no time to take be no measures. If you don't mind the publicity of these little capsules, then do nothing so far. I have spent less than fifty dollars, and it takes me less than ten minutes per barrel
if you want to stop the killing, then why a one million dollars to bank account eight hundred and forty four nine thousand five hundred and ninety seven, Continental Illinois Bank Chicago. Don't attempt Involve the FBI, whole local, Chicago authorities, with this letter a couple of phone calls, I may well, I do anything you can possibly do. the letter was immediately handed to the FBI, who worked to determine if the extortion attempt was just a con man. Capitalizing on that arms all they the murderer responsible for the temperance. They managed to lift fingerprints from the document and scratch away the envelopes postmark revealing a postage commerce number linked to a travel agency, cold light sod in Chicago
the. U S: Department of Justice directed the Continental Illinois Bank to turn over the financial records of the account mentioned in the letter. The account had been closed five months earlier and longed to Frederick Miller, Mackay, hay and said. The Miller brewing fortune investigators quickly established that Frederick was not responsible for pending the letter and question he list the names of anyone who would seek to ruin his reputation. Frederick was the former owner of the now defunct. Are the travel agency, and many of these acts- employee suspected here. diverted company funds to pay his own personal bill which resulted in their final paychecks dancing, Given the envelope used was from Fredericks Boma business he's list contained names of four resentful staff members. One
Nancy Richardson former colleagues called that her husband Robert, was somewhat eccentric, India, outspoken a wage claim. Hearing for the former light sought a travel agency staff members, he had become particular The outraged when told there was nothing that could do about their unpaid wages as there was no money for them to lay a claim against. immediately after the hearing he was wit. having a heated argument with Frederick and, although others accepted the result and moved on Robert continued going after Frederick investigators looking into Roberts background discovered, he had a rapid, unhinged Tampa and a reputation for whole grudges I ain't handwriting samples from rabbits former employer, the first national ban, Chicago where he had worked as a temp in numerous departments until early September, and they do so
but the handwriting was a match to the extortion letter sent to Johnson Johnson policing did to apprehend Robert that he and his wife Nancy had. Since last. their run down apartment in Chicago North side burn unknown destination, a nationwide search commenced and the Palais soon this given that the name, Sir ended Nancy Richardson, where, as is the James Entity in those. We could tell you exactly why bombast socks, t, shirts and underwear are so comfortable. We could talk about our soft fabrics or how we donate one item for every item you by what we say
a customer set a best, so we hide some professional voice actors to read real customer refutes them. Take it easy, my pickings, it's like being hug by an angel. I borrowed appear from my sign and didn't want to give the man given item when you buy an item and get twenty percent off, you first purchase bombers, dot, com, slash, comfy, that's, B, O m p S, dark com, slash comfy, after being abandoned by his parents at age, three change Louis was adopted by a childless. Couple, he grew up to become a troublesome child who was known to fly into rages in one instance. He chased these mother with an axe and in another he faced an assault charge after breaking several of his father's Ribs One point Louis was hospitalized and diagnosed with catatonic schizophrenia after overdosing over the counter painkillers, but he lighted
find he suicide attempt and violent behaviour was simply a playing concocted by his family to avoid him drafted to fight in the Vietnam war. Despite the decision in his home life Louis enjoyed school and received a good great, later attending the University of Missouri, where he met his future wife play in the palace. Totally devoted to one another and cultivated a comfortable life. Both working is bookkeepers that attack service until Louis exploded. The business owner Iver a trivial matter, prompting the couple to leave them then started their own taxation business in Kansas City, where seven, the two year old Raymond West, became their client. Raymond was a retired truck driver who lived a quiet life alone tending to his garden and taking daily walks
on Monday July, twenty four nineteen, seventy eight and missing persons report was fine. on his behalf. As a friend noticed Raymond's car was in the garage of his home, but not to his front door were going on AIDS It was found stock in the door written on change, Louis's business, let ahead at red. Raise out of ten until Thursday, the further call Jim police forced their way into the home and found another note on the coffee table which read: please don't disturb until after one p m sleeping Light Raymond. Despite being signed off with the elderly man's name. It was not scrolling. He's handwriting through weeks later on Saturday Auguste fourteen police conducted a second search of Raymond House
a fair load. I lingered inside and thy uncovered blood Bad shape in the bedroom in the basement. Was a blood find lawn chair, along with a garbage bag containing Raymond to pay and do glasses in an upstairs room. Offices noticed a foot, long stayin running from the ceiling down the wall and made them into the attic to determine at source there they found Raymond's taken posed and dismembered body partially wrapped in shades and garbage bags. he's legs had been severed. The heap joint and placed alongside his head do too State of his remains. A cause of death could not be established. Investigators discovered five thousand dollars had been withdrawn from Raymond Bank Account and painted Louis who was promptly arrested,
hey maintained, the payment was a business expansion line. Seemed unusual. Given Raymond was known to be taught with money. Louis was released from police custody and permitted offices, the search his home and vehicle where thy fanned twenty fate of nodded. What road a garbage bag And a black case containing papers and checks, bearing Raymond's name was arrested again and charged with Raymond West's murder, a crime which he vehemently denied committing. In October. Nineteen. Seventy nine days before his trial was set to begin Louis's defence counsel Dude that the police had no probable caused to arrest their client in the first instance and that he was readies Miranda rights at the time that you
so claimed that the original indictment was defective and was not would it correctly as it emitted the term felonious As Raymond's cause of death was unknown, his attorney he had a lined up a series of witnesses to testify the elderly. Man had high blood pressure and a potent medication regime, both of which may have been responsible. However, it didn't explain how Raymond's legs came to be separate from his body and in it bizarre assertion: Louis's attorney the Chicago Reda newspaper. It's one thing to kill somebody. It's another thing to do. Member them after their dead and whilst this Can somebody, after their that dead, he's repulsive and repugnant? It's not homicide with
nothing but circumstantial evidence to link Louis to the crowd, the case was dismissed and he left cord a free man. Prosecutor James Bells tolled report is that it was quite one of them. I mysterious confusing the following complex, probably one of the most difficult cases by ever handled. In December nineteen, eighty one Louis Cindy's, fourthly and fled this day after police became aware of his involvement in a fraudulent credit cards, gain a warrant issued for his arrest, but the couple successfully evaded captcha heading northeast to Chicago weather. adopted the aliases Robert and uneasy Richardson, making it one of seventeen aliases Louis adopted over the years,
and secured a job working as an accounting clerk at like sought a travel agency before its closure. Three months later, Louis Basque, between temperature leaving the National Bank of Chicago in early September, which prompted the nail one employed couple to relocate again News ever Louis's, fugitive status and connection to the tall and all case began making headlines and he started earning letters to the Chicago true being newspaper to declare his innocence. Postmarks on a letter revealed. He was now living in New York, lady, two hundred FBI agents to descend on the city in an effort to find him. as it was evident that Louis was regularly raiding the Chicago Tribune every new stand this stopped. The paper was put under twenty four hours violence, but he never showed up to make a purchase
since concluded he must have been rating copies of the newspaper in the library and paid a visit to all this. Did he libraries to inform the staff to be on the lookout for Louis on my day December. Thirteen and New York Like a library employee, I contacted the police when they saw Louis in writing to books, newspapers of the South West and to lodge the corporations in America. Shutting down the names and addresses of newspaper publications, he was promptly placed under arrest without incident and he's what. Turned herself into authority soon, after Louis's fingerprints were checked, it And to those on the Johnson and Johnson Extortion, letter revealing a match and further cementing he's involvement. he's handwriting also match the second extortion letter that had been addressed. The president No dragon in MID October, which warned that the taller
Poisonings would continue unless a federal taxation overhaul was conducted. The writer also threatened to fly remote. Controlled model airplanes into the White House to scramble secret service, telecommunications. It appeared Louis right this second letter in a desperate bid to deflect police attention upon realizing he's attempt to frame Frederick Miller Mackay. He had only succeeded in bringing attention to himself. Louis eventually admitted to writing the Johnson and Johnson Extortion letter as inactive revenge against Frederick for leaving his wife five hundred dollars out of pocket. one also alerting police to the business men's alleged fraudulent practices. Louis then stop pod envelopes from like sought a travel agency and investigated suspected. He had waited for the right crosses the penal knees, Watts form a boss strike,
when the Chicago Tall in all murders presented the perfect opportunity. Although Louis maintained he never intended to collect the million dollars he demanded from Johnson and Johnson police found evidence to suggest the tech savvy con man knew how to use a computer to transfer money from one bank account to another. He was subsequently charged with attempted the motion, although he denied having anything to do with the tall and all murders, arguing that he was in New York at the time. The tampering with believed to have taken place in that's the guy is, would not fully convinced me me. No did he bore a resemblance to the man caught on Cameroon Walgreens, who had been watching pull up since the she unknowingly purchased the poison to catch whose right there, the groom debate and spectacles less than
after Mary Kellerman had been laid to rest, the Chicago true, being published a candid pace, titled living in the toilet, I'll, kill his shadow in which columnist above Green, addressed the child killer directly. Writing If you are the tall in all killer, some of this may matter to you, or it may make no difference at all. If you are the tall and I'll kill other. you may be harbouring just the biggest curiosity about the people. On the other end of your plan, the people who are unfortunate enough to purchase the bottles you had touched. If you are curious, come to a small house on a quiet winding street in Oak grow Village Illinois The people who live there, Denison Gina Kellerman, feel you have already been inside anyway. The pace went on.
the described the crushing guilt felt by Jean out for purchasing that, all in all that ended up taking her daughters, laugh Bob Green explained. if you are the tall and I'll kill, you should know one more thing- Marries mother cannot have any more children. Mary was her only baby. You might be interested in knowing that Mary was born one month premature and, to that end,. He entered the world. Her mother was scared because she was not crying but the doktor smiled and said it's all right, she's only sleeping, and she was was a quiet charred and because the Kellerman knew she would be there only child. She was especially precious to them. green detailed, how the Kellerman had considered themselves over protective of therein. They charge, who had to be home,
by dark and call frequently to let them know She was all right, quite what they knew about every danger that could possibly touch Mary, but they didn't What about you. The greens column included the following statement to marriage killer. If you are wondering whether marries parents talk about you, you don't have wonder anymore. They do. You have never been in their house, and yet they can not war. into a room without feeling you were there, you don't know them, but you have changed their lives forever, They feel as if they can't get away from you as it is. You should know, marries parents you shut it able to visit. The cemetery me is buried at Saint Michael, the archangel in nearby Palatine Illinois, and they wish that good.
To her grave, but they caught. The third is to date. And you are keeping them even from that written with the the Commission of the Kellerman family, Bob Grains notional pace had actually been commissioned by the tall and all task force in the hopes that would compel the unknown killer to visit marries grave after the column was published. Her headstone was put under twenty four hour covert violence for several months that the killer did not appear. In the month following the Chicago Tylenol murders, hundreds of copycat incidents emerge The Cross America, with the food and administration, tallying more than two hundred and seventy occurrences of product tampering. People across the country fell ill, have to consuming pills tainted with everything from rat poison. To hydrochloric,
Acid on Halloween parents reported finding shop pins, consuming candy, forcing some communities to being trickle trading altogether. Tall and all returned to store shelves just over a month following the murders after Johnson and Johnson, developed triple sealed, tamper, proof packaging and invented the chaplet, a tablet coated with gelatin. That was easy to swallow, but haha contaminate. These innovative concepts became the global industry stated and was soon impulse and by other companies involved in the production of medicine and other consumables. Months after James Louis sent the fraudulent letter to Johnson and Johnson, he was convicted of extortion and sentenced to serve twenty years in federal prison,
Although he remained a suspect in the tall and all murders, he was just one of four hundred people of interest who were extensively investigated for their possible involvement Among them was forty: eight year old, Roger Ronald, a dog had to work for a jewel foods, warehouse West of Chicago, the supermarket chains, assault the poison the tall and to item JANUS and Gina Kellerman. In early October, nineteen eighty two Arnauld was drink. at a bar code lilies when he started telling stories about killing people with cyanide the Barcelona Mighty Sinclair over the remarks and contacted authorities the police.
Doktor, to search of an old see outside apartment and on covered a bag of chemical powder. Funnels bakers, test tubes for unlicensed firearms care to crawl manuals and copies of soldier of which magazine honoured, was arrested and questioned for three days in relation to the Chicago tall on all matters during which he professed these innocence and told offices. I'd like to be in on the homicide of the guy. That turned me in for what he did to me. the powder Sandy Nano Department was determined to be potassium carbonate, a relic really harmless. Salt used in the production of glass, and so he refused to say what the chemicals were used for that asserted. It was for nothing illegal,
He was ultimately released without charge, but the notoriety of having been considered a suspect in that case took a huge tall when he's reputation. Colleagues, gave him the unwanted nickname tall and all kid he's local community kept their distance eyeing him with constant suspicion. Overwhelmed by the profoundly negative impact. The single tip off had on his love, Arnauld sort revenge on the person who gave his name to the police. Eight months later, on the night of June seventeen nineteen eighty three he drove to these bar and confronted Dio, not Mahdi Sinclair telling him. You turned me in before shooting him at point. Blank range, however, in a case of mistaken identity, anode had
shot Mighty Sinclair at all. He had executed forty six year old Father of three Johnston. Misha, who happened to closely resembled Mahdi, Arnauld was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to thirty years in prison, serving only fifteen prior to death in two thousand. I he expressed through more cities, botched active revenge remarking. I killed a man, a perfectly innocent person. I have the choices I could have walked away. as the Chicago Tall and all murders investigation, continued Adasa listing potential persons of interest grew to ten thousand two names: especial computer
Graham was created to collate the hundreds of reports taken by the various police departments, which would allow offices to important discoveries, lock, an individual was mentioned in multiple reports, or a common thread was recognized. Despite these efforts with no direct connect in between the victims and no motive, crime scene or useful evidence, investigative options were limited. F b I criminal behaviour specialists were given the task of developing a psychological profile of the killer and although they couldn't come up with the unanimous result, they agreed that the perpetrator was luckily male aged in his twenties or thirties. Well, above average intelligence meticulous in his personal habits and alone, who may hold a disdain for women.
The specialists were perplexed to discover that the perpetrator, hadn't left behind a message or any talk of indicator, to draw conclusions from making it particularly difficult to establish their rationale. One psychologist concluded that the killer likely believed they had a perfectly good reason for committing crimes, but might never justify to anyone else. It was his opinion that normal investigative procedures were not going to work in this situation and the person responsible was likely never going to be found. Nevertheless, Politicians and senior police personnel continued to mask the dire status of the investigation by employing progress was being made frustrated by these false claims. Illinois police called up
conference, to admit they knew nothing more now than I did when the first murders took place. These comments caused an immediate backlog and when she cargo police, superintendent, Rigid Brazil was asked by his superiors to justify the remarks he answered, because it's the truth, you'll bullshitting the people and to their terrified at their stop giving them false hope, tell them the truth By November nineteen, I d to the tall and all task force had been Jews from one hundred and fifteen investigators to approximately fifty and by March the following year, the police Tipp Line had been disconnected When the one year anniversary of the murders arrived, the task force a Dane scaled down further to a team of just ten full time. State and federal agents.
That month, Illinois Criminal Investigations Commander Thomas Sharp, told the Chicago True being that efforts were still under way to re examine all the data collected over the previous, she files were constantly being shifted. Dwayne investigators in the hopes of fresh pair of oz would pick up on something that had been missed. Sharp was surprised. The case had not been solved sooner stating. I applaud my best people to this case. These guys used to success unduly on. We all thought we were going to be successful. This time too, we were full of energy. convinced that it was just a matter of hard work, painstaking research and making our own bribes. When you apply the kind of resources way used you solve ninety nine percent of the cases that year
Adele was passed by the: U S, Congress titled the Tylenol bill, making it a federal crime to tamper with consumer products. the penalty for tampering aimed at hurting the reputation of a business included, a ten thousand dollar fawn and up to three years in prison. Those can Victims of meddling with products and endangering consumers, lives or safety. Faced up to a hundred thousand dollar fawn and a life sentence. These new laws were put into practice just three years later, when Two people in Washington State died off to consuming over the counter eccentric pain, relief, capsules laced with cyanide. This Kron cover in episode. Ninety three of case file was unrelated to but directly inspired by this cargo tylenol murders. The mystery endured over the following years with millions of dollars.
and investigative hours amounting to very little advancement and no major breakthroughs, Nine years after the tragedy, the families of the seven victims, initial I did a legal action against Johnson and Johnson alleging that product bring was a well known problem before the murders and that the company should have taken steps to safeguard their product in May ninety ninety one and the out of court settlement reached out the three days of negotiation with the exact terms, dollar amounts sued by a court order. The plaintiffs were pleased with the result. Has compensation included provision for the college education of the eight children whose parents died in the poisonings. Some experts believed their company chose to forego a trial, as even an exorbitant financial settlement was preferable over the potential brain damage that would result from litigation.
Johnson and Johnson spokesperson maintained. The company had nothing to do with the poisonings, and was asked another victim of the crime stating While there is no way that we could have anticipated a criminal tampering with the product or prevented it, we Wanted to do something for these families and finally, put this tragic event behind us during his imprisonment for extortion. Tylenol notice us back to James Louis met with U S attorney Jeremy Margolis to violent, he services to help solve the Koran during pairs meetings. Provided hundreds of pages of manuscripts diagrams and theories as to how the killings were carried out in one sketch, he depicted how sorry, it could be inserted into captures. The caption did with the statement.
drawn on speculation at the request of assistant: U S attorney Jeremy Day Margolis. To ensure it could not be traded as a confession. Nautical win in the Chicago Reda newspaper toddled, a bitter pill explained quite in that drawing Bluish Dylan it's in great detail how the killer might have used an ordinary bread board to turn an ordinary pain relief out into an agent of death poison. How could a jewel halls in the board place separated empty? catch, your heart into the house, feel them With cyanide and scrape off the excess with a knife, great kept the capitals and put them back into their original containers, dean A process could be performed in a car at the stores parking lot, allowing the killer to bother Tylenol contaminate the capsules
In return, the bottle to the shelf minutes Blida, now, would appear out of the ordinary, because the bottle would still bear the price. Tags and other identifying marks of that particular store. spot, all the information Louis provided he never die. Directly implicated himself in the crimes. in nineteen ninety five. After serving thirteen years of his twenty year prison sentence, he was released on parole. nine years later in two thousand, for he was charged with ripe kidnapping and offences in relation to the attack of a woman in his apartment. Building on that, This trial was due to commence in July two thousand and seven. The district attorney's office announced that would dropping the charges because the victim refused to testify.
on the twenty Fiveth anniversary of the Chicago Tall and all murders. In September, two thousand seven Change Louis published a post unease, web design and programming business website. So the Lewis which read. In a quarter of a century, I have not been able to escape the tall and all men label. A Google search of Jane Louis Tylenol yields over two hundred and forty thousand documents, and the list is growing After twenty five years of cringing in fear, I am tired of hiding in silence I will not run and tied any more. I will now face these. Traversing head on after Wednesday, five years tall and all murders remain unsolved lived a long, bizarre love, and I have seen a lot yet. Literate and lucid enough to view and describe, compare and contrast huge.
They diverse worlds, colleges and topics without a moment of boredom or with not too professionalism, demographics and market ability, please the ease and heart sensitive to good taste and victims, feelings. Two years later, in early, two thousand nine department of Justice investigators stated publicly that, although they didn't have enough evidence to charge James Louis that were confident, he was responsible for the tall and all murders. In February, two thousand non federal investigators executed a search warrant at Louis's, first floor apartment in Cambridge Massachusetts, where he had lived since his release from prison in naughty. Ninety five. After searching the residents and a nearby storage facility, five boxes full of evidence and allow Model Macintosh computer was seized.
Teresa JANUS his brother Walter said he hoped the search would finally provide police with enough information to lead to an arrest, especially considering his father was about celebrate celebrated ideas, birthday and longed to see his daughter killer behind bars. Walter said They always told us that cases like this never go into the cold file that I just don't always. Get the attention they deserve. We can do is hope. We d like to bring it to closure. The search failed to one cover any evidence to effect an arrest, but investigators was still on will to rule lower sad as this aspect.
in January, two thousand ten, both he and his wife, were ordered to submit dna samples and fingerprints to authority softer a closed the door court hearing, though they submissions also did not lead to hear rest Louis maintained. He was just the scapegoat for incompetent police who were unable to find the real tall and I'll kill off, but others remained convinced of his guilt with Chicago attorney. He went on for Lucas I believe that the evidence which was out there were delayed a rational person. To conclude that Louis was in fact the murderer. However,. Their investigators were less convinced surmise
Louis was just this game. He relished the attention, as was evident when he self published, enable totalled poison, adopt this dilemma. A fictional thriller about a mass catastrophe in amid a western city. In two thousand twelve lost publication, Chicago magazine interviewed several people involved in the Tylenol murder case to discuss their theories about the long standing mystery thirty years on, one detective expressed The opinion that change Louis was not involved in any way as the extensive investor gaijin had revealed no direct connections attorney General Toffana disputed this saying Do I think James Louis was involved, what did and don't do that we could never put him in the city in the places at the right time.
This was married by Chicago Police Department, Lieutenant Auguste, like hello, who worked in the vote and crime squad during the tall and all murders. He said Louis is a con man and he will do anything to get too he's gone. I really believed he might have killed somebody, but they couldn't put anything on him. Louis, remained in the large pool of suspects which, at one point included infamous Unabomber TED Kosinski Kaczynski's. First for acts of domestic Terrorism occurred in the Chicago area and he occasionally stated his parents home Lombard, Illinois, Haiti, noahide any involvement in the crime and investigated weren't fully convinced, as it didn't entirely fit. His Emma. When the Chicago Tylenol murders occurred in nineteen, eighty two.
There was an almost immediate impact on Wall Street with Johnson and Johnson's five point: four billion dollar stalk plummeting and their market share collapsing from thirty five percent to eight percent. Nevertheless, they come. any swift action to contain the emergency guarded praise from the media and the public. Washington, Post newspaper article published the month following the deaths, stated Johnson and Johnson has effectively demonstrated how a major business what to handle a disaster during investing more than one hundred million dollars, Johnson and Johnson, Re launched the tall and all brand and re gained a thirty percent share of the market before resuming number one spot as America's top selling over the counter pain relief in two thousand three fortune, Maggie
a name to the companies. Then CEO James Burke, has one of histories. Ten brightest sea areas for his handling of the crosses sceptics and cynics have since view Company with a far more critical lie Johnson Johnson initially lied about storing. So I know I got that Twila no manufacturing facilities, many theorists, believe the company was somehow responsible for the content and nation and went to great lengths to cover it up or encouraging the loans, a theory To this day, the Chicago Tylenol murders remains one of the most notorious unsolved crimes in american history. Psychologists remain perplexed by the young, nine killer, whose motive remains a point of contention investigated sir uncertain whether the crimes were meticulously orchestrated and targeted, murder or inactive domestic terrorism
James, his ego format direct or of the Illinois Department of LAW enforcement has spoken of here. I hope that the case will one day be solved, noting we ve solved other crimes a year. Two years, twenty years, Afterwards. I have not given up hope or lost optimism. Sometimes you have to admit, give lost, but that's not the case with the tall and all that Authorities maintain the case is still active. The family, The victims live on without justice. Six months after the murders, Mary runners, husband, dead, told reporters that the couples two year old son would look at photographs of his mother and ask when she was coming home.
Had explained, I tell him she's in Heaven now I still don't understand why something like this happened, and I don't think I ever will On the crimes, one year anniversary, Teresa Jane his mother Helen, explained that while there has used to be full of life and parties. It was now empty he kept a shrine of photographs to remember her daughter and sunny nor remarking it always hurts inside two decades. On. Mary Kellerman grandmother Patricia spoke of the continuing grave stating it still devastating to the family, especially when they happen. port who did it I'm sure a lot of people have forgotten it, but I can tell you that the family still remember.
This sentiment was shared by Joseph JANUS, who lost two of these brothers to the tall, and all poisonings and said had never goes away. It stays in your chest, In an interview with the Chicago tribute in two thousand and nine Mary Macfarlane other Elias and explained how he no longer stomach gave in looking at a box of tall and all quite now think of Mary, not being here what she's missing persons growing up a granddaughter being born a daughter in law. She would have loved a colleague of Poland,
France remembered her as if a fascist woman, with a gorgeous smile and spoke of the unknown killer? Quite that guy stole her dreams, her life, her future, he just destroyed it all. Just proof. One pill: what makes a man something like that in the early days of the tall and all the investigation play criminal investigation Commander Thomas Sharp told the shore Our guide Tribune, the first you look for in any murder. His motivation, in ninety nine percent of the cases, its relatively easy. Her husband was lover. Boyfriend is involved or colleagues are involved and you're on your way to solving it, but with tall enough
there was never a message left behind it, so import to know why what was the message? What was the reason with Tylenol not only count, we say who we can't even say what or why
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Transcript generated on 2022-03-16.