The Extortion Letter - When Did the People Die?

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In 2007, the FBI lab was able to lift layer by layer by layer of ink off of the envelope of the extortion letter. Victims had taken the poison Tylenol capsules two days earlier on September 29th. The Task Force didn't know back in the 1980s, or even the 1990s, when Lewis mailed the letter. They just know that they got it around the 5th and 6th of October.

On September 29, 1982, Adam Janus suddenly collapsed in his home outside of Chicago. He died within hours. Later that same day, in the same house, his brother also collapsed — then his sister-in-law. All three of them had been healthy. Nobody could figure out what was going on.

Stacy St. Clair and Christy Gutowski reported an investigative series looking back on the Tylenol murders for the Chicago Tribune. You can listen to their podcast here, and read their series in the Chicago Tribune here.

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