Breakthrough In Idaho Cold Case May Have Link To Chicago Tylenol Murders

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — More than four decades after seven people were killed by cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules in the Chicago area, authorities in Idaho are expected Wednesday to reveal a possible new connection to one of the nation's most notorious unsolved crimes.

The Ada County Sheriff's Office said it will announce a breakthrough in one of Idaho’s longest-running cold cases involving a man who died inside a Boise church in 1982 and remained unidentified for more than 43 years.

For decades, the man was known only as the "Unknown Wanderer."

RELATED: Chicago Tylenol Murders Still Shock Area, Nation, 40 Years Later

Ada County Cold Case Detective Tim Cooper and Sheriff Matt Clifford are expected to reveal his identity during a 10 a.m. Mountain Time news conference Wednesday and discuss a possible connection to the 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders, according to the sheriff’s office.

They will be joined by forensic psychiatrist Dr. Park Dietz and representatives from "Unsolved Mysteries."

The nature of the possible Tylenol connection has not yet been disclosed.

The press conference will be broadcast on the Ada County Sheriff's Office YouTube Channel at 11 a.m. CT.

Man Died From Cyanide

According to information from the Ada County Sheriff's Office cited by KBOI-TV in Boise, the unidentified man was found beneath a pew at Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Dec. 4, 1982. He had been seen at the pew shortly before his death, before a confession service scheduled to begin at about 4 p.m.

KBOI reported that the man died by cyanide poisoning. A typed suicide note and $1,900 were found with his body. The note said the money should be used for his funeral and cremation, with anything left over donated to the church. It was signed "Wm. L. Toomey."

A public funeral was held Dec. 6, 1982, and drew an estimated 200 to 300 people, according to KBOI. Despite the instructions in the note, the money was retained by the county and the man was buried at taxpayer expense at Syringa Gardens Cemetery.

Investigators later determined that the alias "Wm. L. Toomey" came from a company that manufactured clothing for priests and nuns. A belt buckle the man wore was traced to a gift shop in Arizona, KBOI reported.

Authorities pursued leads suggesting he may have come from California, Arizona or New Mexico, as well as Pennsylvania, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Illinois, but were unable to identify him. The case was featured on "Unsolved Mysteries" in 1990.

KBOI also reported that there had been speculation connecting the man to the killings of two priests in Texas and Arizona, but authorities said there was no evidence supporting that theory.

Chicago Tylenol Murders

The announcement comes days before the 44th anniversary of the Chicago Tylenol murders.

Between Sept. 29 and Oct. 1, 1982, seven people died after taking Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules that had been laced with cyanide. Tampered bottles were linked to stores in Arlington Heights, Elk Grove Village, Schaumburg, Chicago and Winfield.

The first known victim was 12-year-old Mary Kellerman, of Elk Grove Village. Hours later, Adam Janus, 27, of Arlington Heights, died after taking Tylenol for aching muscles.

Janus' brother, Stanley Janus, 25, and Stanley's wife, Theresa Janus, 19, later took capsules from the same bottle while grieving at Adam's home. Both also died.

Mary McFarland, 31, of Elmhurst; Paula Prince, 35, of Chicago; and Mary Reiner, 27, of Winfield, were also killed.

RELATED: Lone Suspect In 1982 Chicago Tylenol Murders Dead: Report

The deaths triggered a nationwide Tylenol recall and sweeping changes in tamper-resistant packaging.

No one has ever been charged with the seven murders.

James W. Lewis, who for decades was the best-known figure associated with the case, was convicted in 1983 of attempting to extort $1 million from Johnson & Johnson after the killings. He was never charged in the poisonings and maintained that he did not commit them.

The case received renewed attention in 2025 with the Netflix docuseries "Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders."

The Ada County Sheriff's Office said the full news conference will be livestreamed on its YouTube channel and posted afterward.

Patch will update this story following the announcement.

RELATED: Netflix Explores Unsolved Chicago Tylenol Murders With New Docuseries