Netflix doc on infamous Tylenol murders makes viewers 'never want to take it again'
The poisoned Tylenol case of 1982 caused the deaths of seven people- and it remains unsolved.
In 1982, seven people, including a twelve-year-old girl in Chicago died after taking Tylenol (paracetamol). It was later revealed that the medicine had been poisoned with cyanide, sparking a decades-long mystery and a major change in consumer product safety. Now, a three-part Netflix docuseries has analysed this infamous cold case, streaming from today, May 26.
You may have found yourself struggling to open a bottle of over-the-counter pills, wondering why it's so tricky. What you probably didn't know was that this infamous series of murders inspired the introduction of tamper-proof packaging for medication.
The biggest suspect in this legendary case, that caused the introduction of the Tylenol Bill in 1983, making tampering with packaging a federal offense in the US, was a man called James Lewis. While it couldn't be proved that he had committed the crime, he faced a meagre 10 years in prison for attempted extortion after investigators discovered he had sent a letter to Johnson & Johnson, demanding they give him $1 million in exchange for stopping the murders.
Lewis died in 2023, but not before sitting down with Netflix for a (seriously creepy) interview for the upcoming series, Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders.
The series shows the suspected killer struggling to open the tamper-proof bottle of pills that have been placed in front of him, saying: 'Everybody who tries to open these bottles swears my name."
The 76-year-old added in the 2023 interview, which took place not long before his death: 'They make it look like I'm the world's most horrible, dangerous person ever.
'And I wouldn't hurt anybody," he said with an eerie chuckle.
The sinister series of deaths began on September 29, 1982, when 12-year-old Mary Kellerman died after taking a Tylenol when she felt unwell.
Three members of the same family died later on the same say, also after taking the over-the-counter medication.
A 27-year-old man named Adam Janus took two Tylenol capsules, later dying in hospital.
His brother Stanley Janus and Stanley's wife, Theresa both took Tylenol from the same bottle and died shortly after.
A further three people died in the days following, including Mary 'Lynn' Reiner, 27, who had just given birth to her fourth child.
A 31-year-old woman, Mary McFarland and 35-year-old Paula Prince also passed away after taking the poisoned medication.
The series includes interviews from the victims' families and experts close to the investigation, who were frustrated at Lewis' death as they had continued to pursue him in the decades following the murders.
During his prison sentence, Lewis even described how the killer could've drilled tiny holes into each Tylenol capsule, before inserting deadly cyanide inside, in an interview with ABC 7 Chicago in 1992.
It's now been over 40 years since the mystery took place, but the documentary's directors explain that the case's legacy is more than worthy of note.
Yotam Guendelman and Ari Pines told Netflix: 'Today, every tamper-proof seal is a reminder of that dark moment — when cyanide-laced capsules transformed an everyday medicine into a murder weapon, permanently reshaping consumer industries."
The series is already making waves, with many viewers taking to social media to voice their opinions.
One user said on X: "Watching the Tylenol murders, makes me never wanna take it again. cs aino way its THAT easy to tamper w sh*t & put it back like nothing ever happened."
Others who remember the disaster shared their thoughts, with one X user saying: "Watching this Tylenol Murders doc….I remember this very clearly from childhood.
"I hated taking pills so I was happy when mom threw all that stuff out."
The Netflix series is available to stream on the platform from today, May 26.
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