Chicago Tylenol murders

Chicago Tylenol murders
LocationChicago metropolitan area, U.S.
DateSeptember – October 1982
TargetRetail consumers
Attack type
Mass poisoning, mass murder, serial killing
DeathsAt least 7
PerpetratorUnknown
MotiveUnknown

The Chicago Tylenol murders were a series of poisoning deaths resulting from drug tampering in the Chicago metropolitan area in 1982. The victims consumed Tylenol-branded acetaminophen capsules that had been laced with potassium cyanide. Seven people died in the original poisonings, and there were several more deaths in subsequent copycat crimes.

No suspect has been charged or convicted of the poisonings, but New York City resident James William Lewis was convicted of extortion for sending a letter to Tylenol's manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson, that took responsibility for the deaths and demanded $1 million to stop them. The incidents led to reforms in the packaging of over-the-counter drugs and to federal anti-tampering laws.