Authorities announced that a man found dead in an Idaho church more than 40 years ago may be linked to the 1982 Tylenol murders, in which seven people in the Chicago area died after taking cyanide-laced acetaminophen. The Ada County Sheriff's Office reopened the cold case in 2019 and identified the man as Mathew Francis Betkouski, a PhD who fatally poisoned himself with cyanide and was buried anonymously. Detective Tim Cooper said investigators came to believe Betkouski was a possible suspect in the killings, though no one was ever charged.
Betkouski worked in drugstores, and former colleagues described him as volatile and fascinated by the idea of a "perfect crime," reportedly saying cyanide could kill without detection. Investigators found cyanide in his desk, but it appeared to be a different compound than that used in the 1982 killings. Betkouski never lived in Illinois, though photos show he visited the Chicago area a year before the murders; it is unclear if he returned the following year.
The Chicago Police Department said its detectives have been in contact with Idaho authorities to determine whether the findings are connected to the Tylenol case, which remains open. Investigators long believed James Lewis was responsible, but he was never charged and died in 2023 after serving time for extorting Johnson & Johnson. The new lead, while circumstantial, adds a fresh thread to a case that prompted child-resistant packaging and widespread recalls of over-the-counter drugs.