Case Overview

On the morning of September 29, 1982, a 12-year-old girl, Mary Kellerman of Elk Grove Village in Chicago, was given two capsules of Tylenol Extra-Strength for a soar throat. Before she got to her 7^th grade class, she died. On the same morning, a 27-year-old postal worker named Adam Janus, also of Chicago, died after taking two of the same type of Tylenol capsules. A woman named Mary Reiner, 27, also died after taking Tylenol capsules. Then Mary McFarland, 31, died right after that for the same reason. They were all from Chicago.

On the same day, Adam Janus’ brother and sister-in-law, Stanley, 25, and Theresa, 19, both took Tylenol from the same container as Adam. Mourning Adam’s death, they had just gotten back from making funeral arrangement when they took the capsules and died. The final victim was a flight attendant named Paula Price, 35, who was found dead at her home in Chicago on October 1.

All seven murders were victims of Tylenol capsules laced with a potassium cyanide compound. The capsules then were designed in a way to give customers the ability to open the capsule and extract the powdered material so that they could pour it in water. This gave an alternative for customers who found it hard to swallow the capsule. Unfortunately, the design of the capsule made it easy for the suspect of this case to easily replace the medicine with the cyanide powder.

The capsules came from different production plants, which meant it ruled out a possible disgruntled employee tampering with the capsules from inside the plants. This baffled the investigators and even though there still have not been any conclusive statements to the case, they believed a suspect added the deadly compound to Tylenol capsules that were on store shelves.

There still has not been any convictions or arrests relating to the seven murders. The Tylenol Tampering case is still an ongoing investigation. It played a significant role in changes to the way medicines are safely distributed today and it had a major impact on the company itself. 

A Brief History of the Tylenol Brand

Tylenol is an over-the-counter pain-relieving drug that helps reduce pain and fever, while also relieving cold, flu, and cough symptoms. We see Tylenol products in most of our homes in America and it has become a well-trusted medicine worldwide. In 1976, it became the “#1 branded over-the-counter analgesic in the U.S.”, according to their company website, and still dominates the pain killer market today with a 35% share.

A pharmaceutical drug product company called, McNeil Consumer Healthcare, owns the Tylenol brand. The McNeil Company can be traced as far back as 1879 when the founder, Robert McNeil, opened a drugstore in Philadelphia, PA. It was a family shop mainly serving as a pharmacy store to the community. The direction of the company soon changed, as Robert’s son, Robert Lincoln McNeil, had different plans when he became manager of the drugstore. He wanted to focus the company on actually producing prescription drugs and marketing them to pharmacies, hospitals, and doctors. In 1933 he incorporated the company as McNeil Laboratories.

Tylenol first appeared as a prescribed medicine in 1955 as a children’s pain reliever. Four-years later, the well-known pharmaceutical giant Johnson and Johnson acquired McNeil Laboratories. A year after that, they were able to sell Tylenol products over the counter and introduced America to the product they will soon fall in love with. It wasn't until 1961 that McNeil Company expanded the product’s options by launching the adult over-the-counter Tylenol product.     

When the company reached its biggest milestone in 1976, becoming the #1 medicine brand in the US, it became clear the amount of trust and contentment the American population had on the Tylenol product and brand. It is still a proud brand of American society and in 1982, the company was at brink of jeopardizing this reputation and their successful history.

The way the company went about dealing with the Tylenol Tampering Case of 1982, had a lasting effect on their brand recognition.  They knew the company image was at stake after the seven Chicago murders were traced back to a Tylenol product. They had to react, and they had to do it fast. The steps they took to gain back the consumer’s trust were well planned out and executed. The changes that were made during this case have affected the pharmaceutical industry till this date and McNeil became an example to other companies.  

Introduction

In 1982 a group of seven individuals in Chicago died after taking an over-the-counter Tylenol Extra Strength capsule. The suspect who tampered with the pills opened the capsules and added a deadly cyanide compound and then put them back on the shelf. This case changed the design of Tylenol capsules after the tampering occurred. The older capsule was designed for customers to be able to open it and extract the powder in order to take the medicine with a liquid. The tampered pills killed seven people including a 12-year old girl, who was the first to die. The case still remains unsolved.