SYSK's Fall True Crime Playlist: The Tylenol Murders, Part I

Published September 26, 2025
View Show Notes

About This Episode

Josh and Chuck recount the 1982 Chicago-area Tylenol murders, in which seven people died after ingesting cyanide-laced extra-strength Tylenol capsules. They walk through the broader context of a tense year in America, the detailed timeline of each victim's death, how investigators discovered cyanide in the capsules, and the ensuing public panic and copycat tampering incidents. The episode closes with the formation of a multi-agency task force and the leading "mad poisoner" theory that the tampering occurred at or around retail stores rather than in the factory.

Topics Covered

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Quick Takeaways

  • In late September and early October 1982, seven people in the Chicago area died suddenly after taking extra-strength Tylenol capsules that had been filled with lethal doses of potassium cyanide.
  • The victims were of different ages, lived in different suburbs, and had no connection to each other, which initially made the deaths appear as separate, baffling medical events.
  • A medical examiner's testing of a saved Tylenol bottle from the first victim revealed cyanide, leading authorities to link the deaths to poisoned capsules within roughly 36-48 hours.
  • Cyanide poisoning prevents cells from using oxygen, causing rapid central nervous system failure, convulsions, gasping for air, and a quick but extremely painful death.
  • The case triggered nationwide panic, massive media coverage, product recalls, and at least dozens of confirmed copycat tampering incidents involving medicines and foods.
  • Investigators determined the contaminated bottles all came from the same lot but from different plants and retailers, strongly suggesting the capsules were poisoned after reaching stores.
  • A large multi-agency "Tylenol Task Force" formed to coordinate the investigation, involving local police, the FBI, Illinois State Police, the FDA, and the state district attorney's office.
  • The prevailing theory became that a local "mad poisoner" bought or stole Tylenol bottles, filled some capsules with cyanide, then returned the bottles to store shelves around Chicago.
  • An additional tainted bottle was discovered only because a woman chose to take Bufferin instead of the Tylenol she had just purchased, narrowly avoiding becoming another victim.
  • Despite massive effort, the Tylenol murders remain officially unsolved, and this episode sets up a deeper exploration of the response and aftermath in part two.

Podcast Notes

Curated introduction to the Tylenol murders episode

Host frames episode as part of a fall true crime playlist

Description of case as Chicago-area poisoning deaths in 1982[1:15]
At least seven people in the Chicago area died in 1982 from poisoning deaths discussed in this episode
Host emphasizes that there was no apparent connection between victims and killer, making it uniquely unsettling
Characterization of the killer and status of the case[1:24]
The murderer is described as a "mad poisoner" because of the random nature of the attacks
Host notes that, like many compelling true crime mysteries, the case remains unsolved

Show opening and host banter

Stuff You Should Know introduction

Podcast branding and host identification[1:42]
Josh welcomes listeners to "Stuff You Should Know, a production of iHeartRadio's How Stuff Works"
Josh and Chuck mention a guest producer also named Josh in the studio

Light banter and pop culture aside

Reference to an SNL-style sketch and Nicolas Cage[2:07]
They joke about a sketch involving "little Chuck in your pocket" and reference Nicolas Cage
Discussion of the film "Mandy"[2:09]
Josh criticizes the movie "Mandy", calling it terrible despite others praising it
Chuck reports that their colleague Noel has seen "Mandy" multiple times and loves it, while Chuck himself felt more neutral
Josh mentions structural issues with the film, especially spending an hour on character development without making him care about the characters
They briefly mention actor Linus Roache as odd casting for the main villain

Setting up the true crime topic and historical context

Identifying the episode as a true crime story

Transition from banter to subject matter[3:16]
Josh signals they are getting into true crime content and notes the events took place in 1982 in Chicago, Illinois

Hosts' personal memories of 1982

Recalling age and impressions at the time[3:38]
Both hosts remember the case from childhood, even though Josh was about six and Chuck about eleven at the time
1982 as a notable year for movies[3:47]
Chuck highlights 1982 as a favorite year because of films like "E.T." and "Blade Runner"
Josh notes he did not see the original "Blade Runner" until he was 40, and says he liked it as well as its sequel

Broader sense of unease in America in 1982

Listing major tragic events from that year[4:18]
Chuck mentions Air Florida Flight 90 crashing into the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., killing 78 people and involving a dramatic icy river rescue
He notes that on the same day, a Washington D.C. Metro train derailed and killed three people
Wayne Williams was convicted in February 1982, ending a period of long-standing unease over the Atlanta child murders
In March, Klaus von Bülow was found guilty of the attempted murder of his wife
In June, Vincent Chin, a Chinese-American man in Michigan, was beaten to death by two men who wrongly blamed Japanese people for taking their auto jobs
On July 9th, Pan Am Flight 759 crashed in Louisiana, killing all 146 people on board plus eight more on the ground
In early September, paperboy Johnny Gosch was kidnapped in Iowa and never found, with later false rumors about a political pedophile ring connected to his case
Reflection on the news climate of the early 1980s[6:26]
Chuck recalls the nightly news as a "horror show" of real-world tragedies when he was around eleven, separate from political news
Josh notes that plane crashes especially stick with people because anyone boarding a plane contemplates the possibility of a crash

Introduction to the Tylenol murders as a defining 1982 event

Positioning the Tylenol murders among other 1982 tragedies

Superseding other bad news[6:40]
Josh suggests that despite many other tragedies, by late September 1982 nothing dominated the national psyche like the Tylenol poisoning deaths
Basic description of the case and series structure[6:17]
Seven people died beginning on September 29, 1982, in the Chicago area after taking Tylenol; the case is known as the Tylenol murders
They explicitly say this will be a two-part episode and tell listeners to "buckle in"

Explaining Tylenol and its market role in 1982

What Tylenol is for younger listeners

Defining the product[7:36]
Tylenol is described as an over-the-counter pain reliever people took for aches, pains, and a variety of minor ailments
It is based on acetaminophen, which is different from aspirin
Why Tylenol became dominant[8:49]
Aspirin upsets many people's stomachs, while Tylenol was marketed and experienced as gentler, which helped it take over a large share of the market
By 1982, Tylenol had about 37% of the pain reliever market, displacing older aspirin brands that had been around since the 19th century

Chronological walkthrough of the 1982 Tylenol deaths

First victim: 12-year-old Mary Kellerman

Mary's initial symptoms and parents' response[9:21]
Around 7 a.m. on Wednesday, September 29, 1982, 12-year-old Mary Ann Kellerman complained of a sore throat and feeling unwell
Her parents told her to take an extra-strength Tylenol and go back to bed
Mary's collapse and death[9:21]
Her father heard her go to the bathroom and then a thud, called out asking if she was okay, and got no response
He opened the door and found her on the floor; she was rushed to the hospital but died very quickly and was likely already dead upon arrival
Doctors, baffled by the sudden death of a healthy 12-year-old, initially suspected a stroke

Second victim: 27-year-old Adam Janus

Adam's symptoms and Tylenol use[9:33]
Later that same morning, 27-year-old Adam Janus of Arlington Heights complained of chest pains after driving his daughter's neighbor home from school
He decided to take the day off work, went home, ate lunch, and took two extra-strength Tylenol capsules he had bought from a local drugstore
Adam's collapse and presumed cause of death[10:16]
Adam collapsed in front of his wife; paramedics arrived within minutes, but he died shortly afterward
Because he had been complaining of chest pains, his death was initially attributed to a heart attack

Third victim: 27-year-old new mother Mary Reiner

Mary's postpartum condition and sudden illness[9:21]
Also that day, 27-year-old Mary Reiner had just returned home from the hospital after giving birth to her fourth child a few days earlier
She began feeling dizzy and by about 3:45 p.m. she became so ill that she was rushed back to the hospital
Mary's collapse[9:42]
Mary collapsed in front of her eight-year-old daughter and died very quickly after being taken to the hospital

Fourth victim: 31-year-old Mary McFarland

Mary's job and onset of symptoms[10:48]
Mary McFarland, age 31 and mother of two, worked at an Illinois Bell phone center in Lombard, a store where customers leased telephone equipment
Around 4 p.m., she was suddenly struck with a severe headache while at work
Mary's use of Tylenol and death[11:18]
She went to the back, took extra-strength Tylenol from her purse, ingested some, and collapsed within minutes in the store

Fifth and sixth victims: Stanley and Theresa Janus

Family gathers after Adam's death[10:43]
After Adam Janus died, family members gathered at his home to mourn and process the sudden loss
Stanley and Theresa take Tylenol from Adam's house[11:38]
Adam's brother Stanley, 25, and Stanley's 19-year-old wife Theresa developed headaches while at Adam's house
They went to Adam's medicine cabinet and took extra-strength Tylenol from the same bottle Adam had used
Stanley and Theresa's collapses[11:20]
Stanley collapsed first, foaming at the mouth and with his eyes rolling back, in front of family members
A few minutes later, Theresa also collapsed; when paramedics arrived, both were on the floor
A paramedic noted that whatever was happening to Stanley was happening to Theresa a couple of minutes later, suggesting identical poisoning trajectories
Stanley died that day, while Theresa survived for a couple more days, likely due to ingesting a smaller dose of cyanide

Seventh victim: flight attendant Paula Prince

Discovery of Paula's body[12:41]
On Friday evening, a couple of days after the first deaths, 35-year-old flight attendant Paula Jean Prince was found dead in her Chicago apartment
Police performed a welfare check at her sister's request, since no one had heard from Paula despite her job involving frequent travel
Evidence of Tylenol use[13:59]
Paula was found in her bathroom with an open bottle of extra-strength Tylenol on the counter
Receipts showed she had purchased the Tylenol on Wednesday, September 29, the same day as the other poisonings

Summary of the deadly timeline

Concentration of deaths in a very short window[13:30]
Within a very short span starting on September 29, seven people in greater Chicago died after taking extra-strength Tylenol

Discovery that cyanide in Tylenol caused the deaths

Reframing the listener's perspective

Contrast between hindsight and contemporary confusion[23:12]
Josh asks listeners to set aside hindsight and imagine the confusion in Chicago, where seven sudden deaths across multiple suburbs initially appeared unrelated

Paramedics collect Mary Kellerman's Tylenol as evidence

Why the bottle was taken[24:14]
Paramedics who responded to Mary Kellerman's collapse logged and collected her Tylenol bottle because her sudden death was baffling

Medical examiner Michael Schaefer's findings

Testing the capsules[24:46]
Medical examiner Michael Schaefer tested the Kellerman Tylenol bottle and found that some capsules contained about 65 milligrams of potassium cyanide instead of acetaminophen
They note that about 50 milligrams of cyanide can kill a healthy adult, so these doses were more than sufficient to be lethal
Some capsules had apparently been completely emptied of medicine and refilled with cyanide, indicating deliberate intent to kill

How cyanide kills: biological mechanism and symptoms

Basic chemistry of cyanide

Cyanide as a small molecule that binds metals[25:17]
Cyanide is described as a very small molecule that typically binds to metals or minerals outside the body, such as in potassium cyanide

Cyanide's action in the human body

Binding to cytochrome c oxidase[24:45]
Once ingested or inhaled, cyanide detaches from its mineral partner and binds to the protein cytochrome c oxidase in the body
Cytochrome c oxidase is critical for cells' use of oxygen, so cyanide binding effectively prevents cells from using oxygen for energy
Consequences for oxygen use and the central nervous system[25:05]
Victims continue to breathe and inhale oxygen, but their cells cannot use it; oxygen remains in the bloodstream instead of being delivered to cells
The central nervous system, which is highly oxygen-hungry, begins to shut down first when cyanide poisoning occurs
As the brain and spinal cord fail, the lungs and other bodily systems also malfunction, but the heart can continue beating for several minutes

Subjective experience and physical signs of cyanide poisoning

Pain and duration of conscious suffering[25:43]
They describe cyanide poisoning as a very cruel and painful way to die, with victims gasping for air that does nothing
Experts are not sure exactly how long victims remain conscious, but they likely experience at least a minute of extreme distress before losing consciousness, while the heart may continue beating three to four minutes longer
Visible symptoms during poisoning[25:56]
Characteristic signs include convulsions, foaming at the mouth, and eyes rolling back, as seen in the case of Stanley Janus
Because oxygen stays in the bloodstream instead of being used, the victim's skin can turn a bright cherry red rather than the duller color seen in most deaths
Cyanide also produces a bitter almond odor; the Tylenol bottles reportedly smelled strongly of bitter almonds, though laypeople would not necessarily recognize the significance

Connecting the dots: linking multiple deaths to Tylenol

Initial isolation of the cases and rapid linkage

Schäfer's discovery and limited initial scope[26:30]
When Michael Schaefer discovered cyanide in Mary Kellerman's Tylenol, he was not yet aware of the other sudden deaths in the area
Emergence of the Tylenol link within 36-48 hours[26:40]
Despite the initial separation of cases, within a day or two people began to suspect a connection between Tylenol and several mysterious deaths in Chicago

Role of local professionals in identifying the pattern

Reporter and coroner story[26:55]
One account holds that a reporter for the City News Bureau in Chicago, while investigating, called a deputy coroner to suggest a Tylenol link, prompting police notification
Fire captain Philip Capitelli's involvement[27:05]
Another account credits fire captain Philip Capitelli, whose mother-in-law was friends with Mary Kellerman's mother, with looking into the case after being asked to help
Given his fire department role and connections to police and medical communities, he investigated the circumstances around Mary's death and the Tylenol use
Public health nurse Helen Jensen's role and frustration[27:25]
Public health nurse Helen Jensen, responsible for Cook County, also investigated the cluster and concluded that something was wrong with the Tylenol
She later recalled that as a nurse-and a woman in 1982-she struggled to be taken seriously and resorted to literally stomping her feet while insisting the Tylenol was responsible
Accounts suggest that Capitelli and Jensen, working independently and then together, helped convince authorities that the common factor was extra-strength Tylenol

Public warnings and nationwide panic

Deputy chief medical examiner's urgent warning

Dr. Edmund Donoghue's press conference[28:00]
Cook County deputy chief medical examiner Dr. Edmund Donoghue held a press conference telling the public to stop taking Tylenol
Chuck remembers seeing one of these briefings on television as a child
Public reaction to the warning[28:20]
Following Donoghue's warning, there was immediate panic as people who had recently taken Tylenol-or given it to their children-called authorities asking if they were going to die
Officials reassured callers that if they were still standing and talking they were likely fine, which Josh points out is darkly reassuring because cyanide kills very quickly

Chicago mayor Jane Byrne's response

Flyers, loudspeakers, and local actions[28:45]
Mayor Jane Byrne ordered the printing of flyers in multiple languages to warn residents not to take Tylenol
Police cars equipped with loudspeakers drove through neighborhoods broadcasting warnings about Tylenol use
Tylenol removal and legal ambiguity[29:19]
Byrne called for all Tylenol to be removed from the Chicago area, though the hosts question whether she had explicit legal authority to mandate removal

Media coverage and national awareness

Role of WGN and television news[29:49]
WGN, already a national "superstation" by 1980, helped spread coverage of Mayor Byrne's press conferences and the Tylenol story nationwide
Polls and media metrics on the story's reach[29:47]
A poll taken in October 1982 across multiple U.S. cities found that 90% of respondents were aware of the Tylenol poisoning story
A news clipping service determined that the number of stories devoted to the Tylenol case was second only to coverage of President John F. Kennedy's assassination
The ubiquity of Tylenol-something nearly everyone used for everyday pains-contributed to the intense media focus and public fear

Copycat tampering and broader product-safety panic

Scale and nature of copycat incidents

Number of reports and confirmed cases[30:10]
Within a month of the initial murders, there were about 270 reports of product tampering across the country
Of these, 36 were confirmed as genuine tampering incidents rather than hoaxes or false alarms
Josh and Chuck highlight how chilling it is that at least dozens of people actively chose to try to poison strangers after seeing the Tylenol news

Examples of other tampered medicines

Excedrin capsules in Colorado[30:45]
Excedrin capsules were found to be poisoned with mercuric chloride, nearly killing Colorado man William Sinkovich, who suffered liver and kidney failure but survived
Tampered nasal sprays and eye drops[31:00]
Copycats put acid into products such as Synex and Afrin, causing chemical burns in victims' nasal passages and eyes

Food tampering and urban legends

Contaminated foods[31:15]
Tampering incidents and scares involved foods like orange juice and chocolate milk
Ballpark hot dogs incident[31:25]
A claim that ballpark hot dogs contained razor blades led to the recall of about a million pounds of hot dogs to be run through metal detectors
The claim turned out to be a hoax by boys in Detroit, but not before the large-scale recall; Ball Park was later praised for its handling of the scare
Halloween fears and razor-blade myth[31:50]
Many towns canceled Halloween in 1982 because of fears that candy would be tampered with, intersecting with the long-standing urban legend of razor blades in Halloween treats
Josh notes that this legend had been untrue but became a self-fulfilling prophecy as actual tampering incidents began to occur

Hoaxes and the climate of fear

Volume of hoaxes and false tips[32:10]
Alongside real tampering, there were many hoaxes and false reports, contributing further to public anxiety
Chuck notes that if the intent of the original poisoner was to induce terror, panic, and fear, they succeeded

Formation of the Tylenol Task Force and scope of investigation

Transition from separate cases to unified task force

Initial fragmentation of investigations[41:57]
Initially, the seven deaths across five townships in the Chicago area were being treated as five separate investigations
Creation of the Tylenol Task Force[42:11]
By Friday, two days after the first deaths, all five investigations were folded into a single effort dubbed the Tylenol Task Force
The task force included local police departments, the FBI, Illinois State Police, the FDA, and was led by the Illinois district attorney's office

Canvassing stores and discovering more tainted bottles

Defining the search area[43:26]
Investigators mapped out roughly a 50-mile radius around Chicago where the tainted Tylenol had been purchased and sold
Finding additional poisoned Tylenol on shelves[43:48]
They checked drugstore after drugstore and found additional bottles of extra-strength Tylenol containing cyanide still sitting on store shelves, unpurchased
These discoveries were made within about two days of the initial murders, preventing further deaths

Case codename and internal terminology

Code name "TIMURS"[43:16]
The investigative case was given the code name "TIMURS" (spelled T-Y-M-U-R-S), short for Tylenol murders

Determining where and how the tampering occurred

Tracing the lot: MC 2880

Scope of distribution for the implicated lot[43:33]
Investigators found that all tainted bottles came from lot number MC 2880, which had been distributed in August to states east of the Mississippi, plus the Dakotas, Nebraska, and a portion of Wyoming
Different plants and retailers involved[43:54]
Despite sharing a lot number, the contaminated bottles came from different production plants and were sold in different drugstore chains, including Jewel Food Stores and Walgreens
This complicated the theory that the tampering happened at a single factory or distribution center

Excluding factory and mid-chain tampering

Complex supply chain considerations[44:11]
Josh mentions that product distribution networks are convoluted, with boxes opened and repackaged at multiple points, which had to be considered in the investigation
Why factory tampering seemed unlikely[45:18]
Because the tainted bottles came from different plants, it was unlikely that all the poisoning happened at a single factory
Johnson & Johnson tested retained samples from lot MC 2880 and found no cyanide, further arguing against a factory-level contamination

Theories about who did it and why

Range of hypothesized motives and actors[44:53]
Investigators and observers considered theories including a disgruntled Johnson & Johnson employee, a random serial killer who chose Tylenol as a vehicle, or someone targeting specific individuals and using random victims as cover
Another theory posited someone with a financial stake in tamper-proof packaging who might profit from the panic, though this idea did not gain strong traction

Emergence of the "mad poisoner" theory

Consensus between investigators and Johnson & Johnson[45:18]
Given clean factory samples and the multi-plant origin of tainted bottles, authorities and Johnson & Johnson converged on the theory that tampering occurred after products reached retail stores
Reconstructing the likely method[45:33]
The "mad poisoner" theory holds that a person or persons within about a seven-hour window drove around the Chicago area obtaining Tylenol bottles and filling some capsules with cyanide
One possibility is that the poisoner bought multiple bottles, took them home to doctor the capsules, then returned the bottles to store shelves
Another scenario is that the person bought a bottle at a store, went to their car to tamper with the capsules, then went back in and surreptitiously placed the bottle back on the shelf
The poisoned bottles being confined to the Chicago area suggests a local operator rather than a national scheme
The motive remains unknown; it could have been random mass murder, targeted murder with cover, anger at the company, or something else entirely

A near-miss victim and closing of Part One

Discovery of another tainted bottle and a life saved by chance

The additional September 29th purchase[45:41]
By mid-October, investigators found another poisoned Tylenol bottle that had been purchased on September 29, fitting the pattern of the other cases
Sister-in-law's Bufferin offer[46:39]
At a family gathering, a woman felt unwell and went to take Tylenol from that bottle when her sister-in-law offered her Bufferin instead, which she accepted
Unknowingly, the sister-in-law's offer likely saved her life, because that Tylenol bottle was later confirmed to be poisoned with cyanide

Hosts' reflection on tone and decision not to do this as a live show

Inappropriateness for a live, humorous format[47:03]
Josh and Chuck say they had considered this topic for a live show but decided against it because trying to keep the tone light around such tragedies-beginning with the death of a 12-year-old girl-felt wrong
Josh suggests a rule of thumb that any story starting with the death of a young child is not suitable for a live, joke-driven show

Teaser for Part Two and contact info

End of Part One[47:11]
They explicitly label this as "part one of the Tylenol murders" and note that they will return with part two, which will continue the story
Listener engagement[47:36]
Josh directs listeners to stuffyoushouldknow.com for social links and invites them to send email to stuffpodcast@iheartRadio.com

Lessons Learned

Actionable insights and wisdom you can apply to your business, career, and personal life.

1

Patterns in complex situations are often recognized not by centralized authorities but by attentive individuals on the ground who notice small commonalities and push others to look closer.

Reflection Questions:

  • When have you noticed a small, unusual detail in your work or life that others initially overlooked, and how did you respond?
  • How can you better position yourself to spot early warning signs or recurring patterns in the systems you're part of?
  • What is one current situation in your life or organization where you could systematically compare cases or events to see if a hidden pattern emerges?
2

Clear, rapid communication in a crisis can save lives, but it must be paired with specific guidance to prevent panic from becoming its own source of harm.

Reflection Questions:

  • How do you typically communicate urgent information, and would your current approach reduce or amplify fear for those listening?
  • In a crisis you might face at work or home, what concrete steps could you outline in advance so people know exactly what to do rather than just what to avoid?
  • Who in your circle or organization needs to be looped into your emergency communication plans so that messages are consistent and calm rather than chaotic?
3

Systems that feel safe and routine-like over-the-counter products or everyday processes-can harbor hidden vulnerabilities that only become visible under stress or attack.

Reflection Questions:

  • What everyday products, tools, or processes do you rely on without ever questioning how they might fail or be misused?
  • How could you conduct a simple "vulnerability scan" of a key system you manage, asking what would happen if someone intentionally tried to subvert it?
  • Where could adding one or two low-cost safeguards meaningfully reduce the risk of catastrophic failure in your personal or professional life?
4

Copycat behavior shows how ideas-good or bad-spread quickly once they are modeled, underscoring the responsibility that comes with how we talk about extreme acts.

Reflection Questions:

  • What kinds of behaviors or narratives are you amplifying in your conversations, social media posts, or leadership messages, even unintentionally?
  • How might changing the way you discuss harmful events (focusing less on the perpetrator, more on victims and solutions) influence those around you?
  • In your current environment, what is one destructive pattern you see people imitating, and how could you instead model and highlight a constructive alternative?
5

Random, uncontrollable events highlight how little we can guarantee about safety, making it even more important to focus on the specific risks we can reduce and the preparations we can control.

Reflection Questions:

  • Which risks in your life do you worry about a lot but have almost no control over, and which ones do you actually have leverage to reduce?
  • How might you redirect some of your anxiety about rare, random dangers into practical steps that improve everyday resilience for you and your loved ones?
  • What is one concrete preparedness action-like a plan, a checklist, or a safeguard-you could put in place this week to better handle an unexpected crisis?

Episode Summary - Notes by Reese

SYSK's Fall True Crime Playlist: The Tylenol Murders, Part I
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