Netflix To Explore Illinois Tylenol Murders In New Documentary

For those of a certain age, the memories of the "Chicago Tylenol Murders" that happened starting on September 29th, 1982 are still horrifyingly clear.

News began to quickly spread that seven people in the Chicago area had died after consuming Tylenol-branded acetaminophen capsules that had been laced with potassium cyanide.

To understand the fear that this news produced you have to remember that at that time in 1982, Tylenol was the single best-selling over-the-counter medication in the United States, and nearly everyone had a bottle of Tylenol in their home, car, purse, etc.

The First Victim Was A 12 Year Old Girl, Next Came 3 Members Of The Same Family

The first fatality of the Chicago Tylenol Murders was 12 year old Mary Kellerman. Mary had stayed home sick from school on September 28th and was given a capsule of Extra Strength Tylenol by her father. She was hospitalized almost immediately, but died the next day from potassium cyanide poisoning.

Then, in an absolutely horrible situation on September 29th, 3 members of the Janus family, 27 year old Adam, 25 year old Stanley, and Stanley's 20 year old wife Theresa Janus all died after each took Tylenol from the same bottle. What makes their deaths even more heart-wrenching is that Adam died first from taking a Tylenol capsule, while his brother and sister-in-law died after leaving the hospital after Adam's death and taking Tylenol from the same bottle when they arrived back home.

Three more people, 31 year old Mary McFarland, 35 year old Paula Prince, and 27 year old Mary Reiner also died after consuming Tylenol capsules.

There's So Much More To The Story Of The Chicago Tylenol Murders That Netflix Is Debuting A 3-Part Docu-Series On May 26th

According to their press release on "Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders," Netflix is not only revisiting the horrible events of late September 1982, they're also exploring suspects and conspiracy theories related to the murders.

From Netflix's description of the three-part series:

Is there one mastermind behind these horrific deaths, or is that simply a convenient scapegoat in a darker conspiracy and potential cover-up? The series reopens the case that turned the world’s best-selling drug into a terrifying symbol—and changed forever how we view the products in our own medicine cabinets.