Chicago Tylenol murders
IncidentWikipedia
126
MENTIONS
32
EPISODES
28
PODCASTS
Search complete. 126 mentions across 32 episodes found for "Chicago Tylenol murders".
Oct 4, 2026
Shannon FarrenHOST
A mysterious man walked into a church in Idaho and died from cyanide poisoning.
Shannon FarrenHOST
They've now finally identified him and think he may be tied to the infamous, unsolved Tylenol murders.
speaker_17ADVERTISER
The story is
speaker_18SOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
true.
Gary HoffmannHOST
No one's ever been charged with the killings.
Gary HoffmannHOST
That, of course, prompted a massive recall.
Gary HoffmannHOST
Major changes industry wide when it came to tamper resistant packaging as a result of those Tylenol murders.
Shannon FarrenHOST
Poisoning is always such an odd business, isn't it? Because you always have to have the conversation of was one person targeted and the rest just collateral damage? And that was certainly part of the conversation four decades ago.
Woody OvertonHOST
And most days, my dad was home in time to watch it.
Woody OvertonHOST
And I remember the Tylenol murders starting.
Woody OvertonHOST
People, they realized that they were being...
Woody OvertonHOST
It was in Chicago, in Chi-Town.
Woody OvertonHOST
All right, let me read this to you.
Woody OvertonHOST
This is going out to Chicago, right? and officials have identified a man known as the Unknown Wanderer.
Woody OvertonHOST
They said he has a possible link to the infamous Tylenol murders in Chicago.
Woody OvertonHOST
Dr. Matthew Francis Bertacuzzi was identified as the man found dead inside a Boise, Idaho church in December of 1982.
Molly AllenHOST
But they weren't.
Molly AllenHOST
Hey, Melissa says they named a suspect last week in Boise from the Tylenol murders.
Molly AllenHOST
What? What? Are you calling Melissa a liar? Did you hear that? No, 47
Dave SpositoHOST
years and they finally have somebody?
Gary HoffmannHOST
Couple of, well, one definitely oldie but a goodie.
Gary HoffmannHOST
The Tylenol murders.
Gary HoffmannHOST
A new name.
Gary HoffmannHOST
There's an L.A. connection.
18 MINS LATER
Gary HoffmannHOST
Gary and Shannon will continue.
Gary HoffmannHOST
True Crime Tuesday is coming up next.
Gary HoffmannHOST
Tylenol murders from 1982.
speaker_14NARRATOR
You're listening to Gary and Shannon On Demand from KFI AM 640.
Steven PachecoHOST
Although discovering the John Doe's identity would normally represent a conclusion to the investigation, in this instance, Betkowski was instead potentially linked to a series of horrifying murders which to date remain unsolved.
Steven PachecoHOST
the chicago tylenol murders began in september of 1982 and would ultimately lead to seven deaths all of this happened just three months before the demise of the unknown wanderer and all seven deaths were related to cyanide poisoning is dr betkowski the perpetrator of one of america's most hideous crime sprees that is the question we'll examine in this special update episode Welcome to Trace Evidence.
Steven PachecoHOST
I'm your host, Steven Pacheco.
Steven PachecoHOST
In today's special update episode, we take a look into the identification of the unknown wanderer as Dr. Matthew Betkowski and his possible links to the unsolved Chicago Tylenol murders.
Steven PachecoHOST
Without further ado, let's jump right in.
Steven PachecoHOST
Saturday, December 4th, 1982 was a bitterly cold and damp day in Idaho's capital and most populous city of Boise.
Bobby BonesHOST
So yeah, appreciate everybody that listened to that and watched that.
Bobby BonesHOST
Are you familiar with the Tylenol murders in 1982?
Morgan HuelsmanPANELIST
Oh, I feel like it's sounding familiar.
Morgan HuelsmanPANELIST
Oh, yes.
Bobby BonesHOST
Yeah
Morgan HuelsmanPANELIST
... caps on bottles.
Bobby BonesHOST
Exact- What do you remember from the Tylenol murders?
Morgan HuelsmanPANELIST
That.
Ben KisselHOST
Well, he was the man in the church.
Ben KisselHOST
He was named in connection with the Chicago Tylenol murders.
Jerii AquinoHOST
Um, how-
Ben KisselHOST
A mysterious man found dead in an Idaho church 44 years ago has been identified and linked to the infamous, which is more than famous, cold case that left seven people poisoned to death.
DaveHOST
I thought this was going to be a little more interesting.
DaveHOST
Have you guys been following this? The Identity of Idaho's Unknown Wanderer released with no tie to the Chicago Tylenol murders.
DaveHOST
They were hyping this story like they were going to introduce a connection when they named this guy to the Chicago stuff.
MikeHOST
They, in fact, did not.
DaveHOST
Quote, we're not naming him as a suspect and can't put him in Chicago, Cooper said, noting police have turned over the slim information to police in Chicago and Arlington Heights.
DaveHOST
In a lukewarm public statement Wednesday, Arlington Heights police said only that they had received and reviewed the Idaho information, giving no indication they found it credible.
DaveHOST
CPD officials said simply they had been contacted by Idaho authorities, quote, regarding its investigation to determine whether there is a connection to the Tylenol murders investigation, which remains an open cold case.
DaveHOST
quote, utter nonsense is how former Illinois State Police Director Jeremy Margolis described the alleged connection to the Chicago Tylenol cyanide killings.
Julia FelloHOST
It shows we may be one step closer to solving a crime that took place in the 1980s that terrified people.
Julia FelloHOST
Do you remember the Chicago Tylenol murders with cyanide?
Telly HughesHOST
I did not know about that.
Julia FelloHOST
You don't
Derek StaahlHOST
So this week, detectives in Boise, Idaho announced that they have identified a person nicknamed the Unknown Wanderer who was found dead inside of a church that back in 1982, and they've identified that person as Dr. Matthew Francis Betkowski.
Derek StaahlHOST
The question now is whether the unknown wanderer, Dr. Betkowski, is connected to the 1982 Tylenol murders.
Derek StaahlHOST
So back then in Chicago, seven people were poisoned after taking Tylenol pills that were laced with a substance.
Derek StaahlHOST
There was so much concern in that era.
Derek StaahlHOST
And that is ultimately how investigators were able to identify this person as Dr. Francis Dr. Matthew Francis Betkowski, a guy who was an organic chemist and someone who developed severe paranoia after a head injury.
Derek StaahlHOST
Let's bring in our true crime correspondent, Courtney Johns, now for more on this case.
Derek StaahlHOST
Courtney, obviously the big question is whether or not this is connected to the 1982 Tylenol murders.
Derek StaahlHOST
Remind us what that was like.
22 more episodes mention Chicago Tylenol murders.
Create an account to see the whole feed, search across every transcript, and follow the entities you care about.