2 of The Most Devastating Crimes That Happened In Illinois

Illinois is no stranger to having some deplorable crimes take place. These stories are enough to leave true crime junkies like me practically addicted to hearing about the history of crime in the state. After hunting on the internet, here are some stories that truly sent chills down my spine.

I'll admit that I am a true crime lover. I don't actively find it, but I enjoy delving in every once in a while. Let me tell you, these sent me down a total rabbit hole! They both broke my heart AND made me angry.

The Chicago Tylenol Murders of September 1982

This was big enough to put the entire country in a state of distress. I remember one of my history teachers in high school telling me this story!

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The Chicago Tylenol Murders left 7 people dead after taking tainted Tylenol tablets. A man by the name of James Lewis confessed to the crimes, but it was later found out there was no way he could've been involved. To this day no one has been officially convicted of the crime, but it completely shifted the entire nation's approach to how we buy over-the-counter medication. It also led to what is now the "Tylenol Bill," which makes it a felony to tamper with any products being bought by consumers.

RELATED: 10 Places in Wisconsin That Have Strong Ties to Gangster History

Gonna bookmark this one because I just found out there's gonna be a docuseries on Paramount+ about this!

The Hendricks Family Murders - Bloomington, Illinois 1983

This story is a lot like one I'm familiar with hearing about back home.

Businessman and father David Hendricks was on his way to Wisconsin when he called the police to do a check on his family. He was concerned because no one was answering. When police arrived, his wife Susan Hendricks and children Becky (9), Grace (8) and Benjamin (7) were found dead in their beds due to being killed by an axe.

The creepy part is the murder weapons were found cleaned and near the bodies along with no signs of struggles or forced entry into the home. You'd think the first suspect would be David, but his alibi about being in Wisconsin was pretty strong. To this day, the case remains unsolved and leaves many with more questions than answers.

True crime lovers, are there any details I missed? If there are any more Illinois true crime stories I should know about, let us know! I always love going down those kind of rabbit holes!