James Lewis And Roger Arnolds: The Death Of The Tylenol Murders

Murder. It has always peeked human interest in a morbid fashion. However, could something as mundane as Tylenol be involved in it? In 1982, seven people in the Chicago area died after taking a few capsules of Extra-Strength Tylenol. Unfortunately, the victims got more than they bargained for when the took the capsules. Rather than being filled with pain-suppressants, they were filled with cyanide. The mystery surrounding these deaths has never been solved, however, two people can be suspected; James Lewis and Roger Arnolds. The unexpected and bizarre deaths of the Tylenol Murders has bewildered investigators for years. Causing one of the largest recalls of over-the-counter medicine, costing a whopping $50 million, its effects were felt
Arnolds was often described as a “closet chemist” by many people in his area and police were informed of him soon after the investigation started (Adame). Known to have cyanide on hand police jumped on the lead and quickly tracked him down (Closet Chemist). According to Detective James Gildea, an investigator that searched Arnolds’ apartment, reports that Arnold had a “working knowledge of chemicals and compounds” (Closet Chemist). Later it was discovered that Arnold worked in one of the warehouses that supplied two of the five stores found with contaminated Tylenol (Adame). He was arrested on charges of killing a man that he “believed had been identified as a potential Tylenol suspect (Malcolm). Because of all this information against him, Arnolds as considered a high-priority suspect and his actions and knowledge of poisons and how to use them points strongly towards him being the culprit. However, he was never convicted of anything and unfortunately, he may never be. In the final analysis, both James Lewis and Roger Arnolds were prime suspects in a murder that still baffles investigators to this day. James Lewis sent an extortion letter and gave detailed accounts of how the murderer could have operated. Roger Arnolds had a ready supply of cyanide and the knowledge and position to poison the capsules of Tylenol and return them to shelves. Despite many theories and new leads found every day, these mysterious
2017. Student Resources in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A508096243/SUIC?u=edmo59604&xid=ed287135. Accessed 29 Jan. 2018.
Malcolm, Andrew H. "3 YEARS LATER, ILLINOIS IS STILL TRYING TO SOLVE TYLENOL DEATHS." New York Times, 21 Feb. 1986. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A176429785/OVIC?u=edmo59604&xid=3253f5ff. Accessed 29 Jan. 2018.
“FBI Searching Home In Review of ‘82 Tylenol Deaths.” National Public Radio, 4 Feb. 2009, www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100268518. Accessed 31 Jan. 2018.
Barclay, Shelly. “The Chicago Tylenol Murders.” Historic Mysteries, 29 June 2012, www.historicmysteries.com/the-chicago-tylenol-murders/. Accessed 31 Jan. 2018.
Adame, Colleen. "Tylenol Murders (1982)." Crimes of the Centuries: Notorious Crimes, Criminals, and Criminal Trials in American History, edited by Steven Chermak and Frankie Y. Bailey, vol. 3, ABC-CLIO, 2016, pp. 806-808. Gale Virtual Reference Library, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX6482900475/GVRL?u=edmo59604&sid=GVRL&xid=de058fe8. Accessed 1 Feb. 2018.
Newton, Michael. The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes, Second Edition. Facts On File, 2009. Infobase eBooks. ebooks.infobaselearning.com/View.aspx?ISBN=9781438119144&InstID=1187. Accessed 1 Feb.