WHAT WERE THE 'CHICAGO TYLENOL MURDERS'?
In 1982, there were a string of poisonings across the Chicago area, which resulted in seven people dying, with others being killed by ‘copycat’ crimes.
Police were obviously completely confused as to why these seemingly healthy people were dying in an abrupt manner. Upon further investigation, it was found that all of the people who had died had taken a Tylenol capsule that contained cyanide.
It’s also important to keep in mind that cyanide is a “rapidly acting poison, and once signs and symptoms appear, death ensues within 30 minutes.” So bearing that in mind, those who took the tablets were almost guaranteed death.
The link between the Tylenol capsules and the deaths prompted Johnson & Johnson, the healthcare company that produced the capsules, to issue a warning to consumers and to state that the contamination occurred after the pills had left the factory.
To date, the culprit remains unknown, but recent advancements in DNA technology have reopened the case. The incident prompted manufacturers of various products, including drugs, food, and drinks, to include anti-tampering measures to enhance consumer safety.
This is why you may notice protective packaging on pills you purchase today, indicating that the products have not been tampered with.