What are the Tylenol murders? New Evidence May Solve a Case That Changed Drug Buying Forever

By Scott Stump -

Cyanide-tainted Tylenol pills being sold in suburban Chicago were linked in September 1982 to the deaths of seven people, setting off a wave of panic across the country and leading the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its acronym in English) to advise consumers across the country to stop taking that drug.

But no one was charged for these deaths.

Forty years later, investigators say there is new evidence and that they have a possible motive that could help finally solve the case.

What are the Tylenol murders?

Seven people between the ages of 12 and 35 died in 1982 after ingesting extra-strength Tylenol capsules that contained the deadly chemical cyanide.

The pills were sold in stores in suburban Chicago.

The Tylenol bottles were immediately removed from the shelves for authorities to analyze their composition.

Seven people between the ages of 12 and 35 died after ingesting cyanide-laced Tylenol pills in the Chicago area in 1982. TODAY

Three of the deaths occurred in Arlington Heights, where police told Chicago's NBC News station last year they were still holding pills, bottles and boxes as evidence.

"We are still receiving leads that are being evaluated and investigated," Sergeant Joe Murphy told NBC Chicago at the time. The Illinois State Police confirmed to NBC that the investigation is still open.

Has anyone been investigated for the murders?

The investigation has focused all this time on a Massachusetts man identified as James Lewis, 76, who was 36 years old at the time the murders occurred.

Lewis admitted to the FBI that he sent a letter to Tylenol's parent company, Johnson & Johnson, at the time, The Chicago Tribune reported.

The newspaper reported this week that he obtained a video and thousands of documents about the investigation, and that the security forces are handling the possible motive that could lead to the execution of the murders.

NBC News has not reviewed that evidence.

Reporter Stacy St. Clair told NBC News on Friday that she was told by multiple sources close to law enforcement that Lewis is the only person under investigation.

City of Chicago Health Department employees continue to test Tylenol medications for the presence of deadly cyanide in the Department's laboratory on Oct. 7, 1982.AP

Technological advances have allowed investigators to determine the postmark date of the extortion letter written by Lewis, which requires sending a million dollars to a bank account "if the killing is to stop," according to documents reviewed by the newspaper.

“As you can see, it's easy to put cyanide in pill form on store shelves,” he said.

The new timeline suggests Lewis wrote the letter before the public knew the deaths were related to the contaminated Tylenol pills, according to the Journal.

Lewis, who now lives in the Boston, Massachusetts area, has denied any involvement in the deaths and was never charged.

NBC News contacted him and received no response.

Reporters from the Chicago Tribune tracked down Lewis last month as part of the investigative podcast

and asked if he had any theories about who the Tylenol killer might be.

“Ladies, have you been harassed by something for 40 years that you had nothing to do with?” he replied.

What consequences did the case have?

The panic caused by the deaths caused a change in the packaging of the drugs.

Tamper-resistant pill containers were introduced, with packaging that allows consumers to tell if a bottle has been opened.

"Our ultimate responsibility has always been the health and safety of our consumers," Johnson & Johnson said in a statement to NBC News.

"Although this tragic incident remains unsolved, this event led to significant industry improvements in patient safety measures, including the creation of tamper-resistant packaging," he added.

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Sources familiar with the investigation told the Chicago Tribune that charges are not expected imminently, and may never happen due to lack of evidence.

However, investigators believe the circumstantial evidence is sufficient to make it a case with defendants, but that decision would have to come from prosecutors, according to documents reviewed by the Chicago Tribune.