The Tylenol Murders
THE TYLENOL MURDERS
THE TYLENOL MURDERS
In 1982, American consumers were gripped with terror and fear. 12-year-old Mary Kellerman of Elk Grove Village just wanted to cure a morning headache, not knowing that the drug she sought to relieve her would send her to her death. It was the same case for the 27-year-old postal worker Adam Janus of Arlington Heights and his brother Stanley and his brother 's new wife, Theresa, who, returning from the hospital after the death of Adam passed around a bottle of Tylenol, not knowing that the capsules in the bottle were the same that Adam. Collapsing almost at the same time as the paramedics came in to attend to them, the couple, who took cyanide-laced capsules of Extra Strength Tylenol, was dead not long after. 35-year-old Paula Prince of Chicago, 27-year-old Mary Reiner of Winfield and 31-year-old Mary McFarland were next in line in what would be remembered as the Tylenol Murders of 1982. It was what Barbara and David Mikkelson described as the time when "we lost our innocence in 1982."
``This was an outbreak of chemical terrorism, ' ' recalled Cook County Medical Examiner Edmund Donoghue, who investigated the 1982 killings as the office 's chief deputy. ``It was kind of a ridiculous thought at the time that Tylenol, the world 's greatest pain reliever, would have killed someone. ' '
As fast as the deaths came were the actions of Johnson & Johnson, the parent company of Tylenol manufacturer McNeil Consumer Products. The company immediately recalled more than 20 million bottles of Extra Strength Tylenol and burned every one even as Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne banned the sale of Tylenol products and 1,300 volunteers canvassed the city to warn the public about the potential danger. The public was quick to respond as across the country, everyone rushed to turn in bottles to authorities which led to investigators eventually recovering eight tainted bottles, five related to the deaths, two turned in by consumers and one
THE TYLENOL MURDERS
In 1982, American consumers were gripped with terror and fear. 12-year-old Mary Kellerman of Elk Grove Village just wanted to cure a morning headache, not knowing that the drug she sought to relieve her would send her to her death. It was the same case for the 27-year-old postal worker Adam Janus of Arlington Heights and his brother Stanley and his brother 's new wife, Theresa, who, returning from the hospital after the death of Adam passed around a bottle of Tylenol, not knowing that the capsules in the bottle were the same that Adam. Collapsing almost at the same time as the paramedics came in to attend to them, the couple, who took cyanide-laced capsules of Extra Strength Tylenol, was dead not long after. 35-year-old Paula Prince of Chicago, 27-year-old Mary Reiner of Winfield and 31-year-old Mary McFarland were next in line in what would be remembered as the Tylenol Murders of 1982. It was what Barbara and David Mikkelson described as the time when "we lost our innocence in 1982."
``This was an outbreak of chemical terrorism, ' ' recalled Cook County Medical Examiner Edmund Donoghue, who investigated the 1982 killings as the office 's chief deputy. ``It was kind of a ridiculous thought at the time that Tylenol, the world 's greatest pain reliever, would have killed someone. ' '
As fast as the deaths came were the actions of Johnson & Johnson, the parent company of Tylenol manufacturer McNeil Consumer Products. The company immediately recalled more than 20 million bottles of Extra Strength Tylenol and burned every one even as Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne banned the sale of Tylenol products and 1,300 volunteers canvassed the city to warn the public about the potential danger. The public was quick to respond as across the country, everyone rushed to turn in bottles to authorities which led to investigators eventually recovering eight tainted bottles, five related to the deaths, two turned in by consumers and one
References: Barbara Mikkelson The Tylenol Murders Urban Legends Reference Pages 15 January 1999 http://www.snopes.com/horrors/poison/tylenol.htm George Church. Murder by Remote Control TIME Magazine Oct. 18, 1982 Tamara Kaplan The Tylenol Crisis: How Effective Public Relations Saved Johnson & Johnson. The Pennsylvania State University Newsweek Magazine, October 11, 1982, "The Tylenol Scare." The Washington Post, October 11, 1982, "Johnson & Johnson Sets Example in Crisis." The Kansas City Times, November 12, 1982, "The Tylenol nightmare: How a corporate giant fought back." The Kansas City Times, November 12, 1982, "PR effort launches new Tylenol package." Chicago Tribune, Friday October 1, 1982 The Chicago Sun, October 1, 1982. The New York Times, October 3, 1982