40 years on, the chilling 'Tylenol Murders' continue to shape our medicine safety. With the news of the death of the prime suspect, over the weekend, discover how this dark event catalyzed the major changes in pharmaceutical safety we still rely on today.
, a 27-year-old man felt a muscle ache. He took several extra-strength Tylenols and collapsed. When he died that evening, his stunned family gathered at his house. His younger brother took several Tylenols and then passed the bottle to his wife. Both soon died.
In the coming days, three more women in the Chicago area died after taking extra-strength Tylenol. One of the victims had just given birth to her fourth child and turned to the acetaminophen for relief. Another was a single mother raising two young boys. The last victim was a flight attendant who had just returned to Chicago and stopped at a drugstore on her way home to buy the bottle.that the Tylenol was the sinister link between the fatalities.
The poisoner was determined to kill, and the toxic tablets were designed to resemble the well-known Tylenol pills. The deadly plan worked, and although authorities still don’t understand the motivation for the murders, they know the culprit picked a poison and delivered a dose that no antidote could have cured in time. Beyond that, the shocking murders catalyzed major changes in the way that we take pills that still exist today.
But cyanide can also be manufactured in several forms, including hydrogen cyanide , a liquid that is colorless, odorless and highly flammable. It boils at room temperature, and in its gas state, it can kill within a minute.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
James Lewis, only person convicted in connection with Chicago Tylenol murders, found dead: officialsLewis, 76, was found in his Cambridge, Massachusetts home near Boston, according to investigators.
Read more »
James Lewis, sole suspect in 1982 Tylenol murders, has diedJames Lewis, the lone suspect in the 1982 Tylenol murders, was found dead Sunday at his home in suburban Boston, according to law enforcement.
Read more »
James Lewis, prime suspect in the 1982 Tylenol murders, found deadIn 1982, seven people in the greater Chicago area died after taking Tylenol laced with cyanide.
Read more »
Sole suspect in 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders diesThe sole suspect in the 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders has died.
Read more »
James Lewis, the sole suspect in the 1982 Tylenol murders, has diedJames Lewis, the lone suspect in the 1982 Tylenol murders, was found dead Sunday at his home in suburban Boston, multiple law-enforcement sources confirmed to the Tribune. His death comes after 40 years of intense scrutiny from law enforcement, in which Lewis played a cat-and-mouse game with investigators. Local authorities questioned him as recently as September as part of a renewed effort to ...
Read more »
James Lewis, prime suspect in unsolved 1982 Tylenol murders case, dies at 76Lewis, 76, was never charged in the seven murders but was the only person targeted by law enforcement as a suspect for more than 40 years in the case.
Read more »