Review of the Netflix docuseries Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders Rating *****
If you have ever struggled with tamper-proof containers, you may not know that those frustrating locks and seals all got their start thanks to the Tylenol murders in Chicago in the early 1980s. I’m old enough to remember this crime, if that’s what it was. I always thought that someone tampered with some extra-strength Tylenol to commit a murder. They put the cyanide-laced medicine back on a store shelf where other unsuspecting individuals would end up taking the tainted medicine and die, throwing investigators off the trail of the person responsible for the first murder. Turns out that after all these years, the murders are still unsolved. This documentary series takes a close look at the possible scenarios and suspects.
The first victim was identified as 27-year-old Adam Janus. His death was initially attributed to a heart attack. It wasn’t until two more family members died under suspicious circumstances the next day at the same address that it was determined that all three had died from cyanide poisoning after taking extra-strength Tylenol. Within days, there were four more deaths attributed to the tainted Tylenol. One of the victims, Mary Lynn Reiner, had just given birth to her fourth child. Her daughter, Michelle, who was eight years old at the time, was there when her mother collapsed. After giving birth to her child many years later, Michelle decided to take a closer look at the circumstances surrounding her mother’s death. What she uncovered appears to point in a different direction than what investigators believed.
The makers of Tylenol, Johnson & Johnson, go into damage control. They recall millions of extra-strength Tylenol pills. They claim that the only explanation is that someone tampered with their product and that they are not responsible. Police and FBI investigators focus on finding a suspect. They don’t have to wait long before there is a break in the case when an extortion letter is sent to Johnson & Johnson demanding one million dollars, or there will be more killings. Here’s where things take a bizarre turn. The writer of the letter identified a bank account where the money was supposed to be deposited. That man identified a man by the name of Robert Richardson as someone with whom he had been having issues. It doesn’t take investigators long to identify Robert Richardson as the writer of the letter. Once Robert Richardson’s picture is released on national media, a police detective in Kansas City, Missouri, identifies the man as James Lewis. The filmmakers find James Lewis and interview him. There is no explanation as to why he and his wife were using aliases other than to point out that James Lewis was implicated in the murder of his neighbor four years earlier. Police also wanted him for identity theft. The move to New York and the new names appear to be an attempt to hide their identities from authorities.
James Lewis was definitely a prime suspect in the Tylenol murders and was treated as such. His daughter was born with Down Syndrome and had a heart defect. The heart defect was repaired with a patch made by Johnson & Johnson. That patch failed, and his daughter died at the age of five. The fact that he also attempted to direct investigators to one of his clients with whom he had a problem suggests that he was vindictive. He also admitted to forging a check from his neighbor, whose body was found dismembered in his attic. James Lewis wrote a note that was on the victim’s door, indicating that he was away in the Ozarks. Everything pointed to James Lewis as the person responsible for his neighbor’s death, but the charges were eventually dropped when his defense attorney learned that he had not been read his Miranda rights. Despite all leads pointing to James Lewis, investigators are unable to connect him to the Tylenol murders. In fact, they learn that James Lewis and his wife were living in New York when the tainted Tylenol bottles were believed to have been planted.
James Lewis is captured in New York and sentenced to ten years in prison for the extortion letter. Johnson & Johnson comes out with new Tylenol bottles protected by three levels of tamper-proofing. Then, despite the tamper-proofing and the fact that their primary suspect is incarcerated, there is another Tylenol death in 1986.
Despite the investigative work of local police and the FBI, the one person who seems to have taken the time to analyze the clues properly is the daughter of one of the victims, Michelle Rosen. She uncovers the fact that her mother most likely received the tainted Tylenol from the hospital after giving birth to her fourth child, putting in doubt the tampering theory. She rightly points out that there could have been hundreds of other deaths that may have been attributed to tainted Tylenol but not correctly diagnosed. Johnson & Johnson was responsible for the investigation into the manufacturing process. They destroyed all of the recalled pills. It was later learned that there was cyanide in close proximity to the manufacturing process.
The filmmakers have a stylistic approach in their presentation of archival footage and interview subjects. They present all sides and let the viewer decide which story is most likely to be true. After listening to all of the evidence, I believe that Johnson & Johnson was solely responsible for the Tylenol deaths. Was there a rogue employee? Or was it an honest mistake? We may never know.
Full disclosure. I know a few of the people behind this documentary series, and I am currently working with them on a possible documentary series on another topic.