BOISE BENCH, Idaho — The 1982 Tylenol murders were a series of poisonings that changed the way Americans buy and sell over-the-counter medicine.
The case is back in the spotlight because the Ada County Sheriff’s Office says investigators have found a possible connection between the Tylenol poisonings and an unidentified man, known as the "Unknown Wanderer," who died inside a Boise church in 1982.
The sheriff’s office plans to reveal the man’s identity, along with details about the possible connection, during a news conference on Wednesday. The nature of the connection has not been released.
READ MORE | Ada County to reveal identity of 'Unknown Wanderer' in 1982 Boise cold case
What happened in 1982?
Between Sept. 29 and Oct. 1, seven people in the Chicago area died after taking Tylenol capsules laced with cyanide, according to the FBI. One victim was a 12-year-old girl.
The deaths sparked a nationwide panic and a major investigation involving the FBI, Illinois State Police and local police.
James W. Lewis became a suspect after sending a letter to Johnson & Johnson, the maker of Tylenol, demanding $1 million to stop the killings, according to The Associated Press.
Lewis was later convicted of trying to get the money and spent more than 12 years in prison, but he always denied involvement in the deaths and was never charged with the killings.
Lewis died at his Massachusetts home in 2023 at age 76, AP reported. His death was not considered suspicious. The Tylenol deaths remain unsolved.
How the case changed medicine
The poisonings led to major changes in how over-the-counter medicine is packaged.
The FDA required tamper-resistant packaging for non-prescription drugs, and Congress passed the Federal Anti-Tampering Act in 1983, making it a federal crime to tamper with consumer products.
The Tylenol murders have remained unsolved more than 40 years later.
Ada County investigators are expected to provide more details about the possible Idaho connection during Wednesday’s news conference. You can watch the press conference LIVE on IdahoNews6.com starting at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.
Watch below for archived Idaho News 6 coverage of the “Unknown Wanderer” case —
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