Grab them deerstalkers and your magnifying glasses, it’s time to solve one of the largest murder investigations in US history.
Netflix is opening up yet another cold case for its next three-part murder investigation documentary. But have you heard of it, have you heard of the Tylenol murders?
Chicago, 1982, several deaths occurred within the state with only one common factor between the deceased. We had Adam Janus (27), Theresa Janus (20), Stanley Janus (25), Mary McFarland (31), Mary Reiner (27), and Paula Prince (35). We also had 12-year-old Mary Kellerman, who was hospitalised for taking a tablet to soothe her throat, she died only hours later. The one common factor was the day of their passing they had all consumed Tylenol, Tylenol that was laced with potassium cyanide.
When news broke that the common drug Tylenol had been tampered with and now included a form of cyanide, panic followed all over the country not just in Chicago. This led to the largest criminal investigation currently recorded in US history. All Tylenol-related products had to be recalled and removed from all stores to undergo an integrity test.
A man named James William Lewis claimed to have been responsible for the poisoning and demanded that $1 million be paid to him from the Tylenol product owners Johnson & Johnson. It was later discovered that Lewis genuinely had nothing to do with the poisoning and was later convicted of extortion. Lewis died in 2023, with his cause of death not raising any alarms, and was labeled not suspicious. As of right now in 2025 there has been no conviction made against the murders that took place in 1982.
What do you think? Intrigued? Well, Netflix has just released their documentary looking into what happened.
You can watch Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders now on Netflix.
