Idaho man found dead in church possibly linked to 1982 Tylenol murders
Authorities identified the man posthumously and are investigating a potential connection to the poisonings that led to widespread product recalls.
Authorities in Idaho announced Wednesday that a man found dead in a church decades ago may be connected to the unsolved 1982 poisonings that became known as the Tylenol murders. The case, involving cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules, prompted widespread recalls of the over-the-counter painkiller and led to the implementation of child-resistant packaging.
Detective Tim Cooper of the Ada County Sheriff’s Office reopened a cold case investigation in 2019 that ultimately identified the man as Dr. Mathew Francis Betkouski. He died by suicide with cyanide more than 40 years ago and was buried without identification. Investigators believe Betkouski could be a suspect in the killings of seven people in the Chicago area.
No one was ever charged in those Chicago-area poisonings. The Chicago Police Department stated it is in contact with Idaho authorities to assess any potential connection to their ongoing investigation into the Tylenol murders, which remains an open cold case.
An engraved key discovered with Betkouski's body in a Boise church led investigators to a property in Jacksonville, Florida. There, they confirmed the identity of a property owner who had disappeared in 1982. Photos and DNA testing were used in the identification process.
Investigators learned that Betkouski had worked in drugstores. Former colleagues and acquaintances described him as volatile, fascinated by the concept of a "perfect crime," and aware that cyanide could be used for undetected killing. Detectives found what appeared to be homemade cyanide in Betkouski's desk, though Cooper noted it was a different compound than that used in the 1982 poisonings.
While Betkouski lived in five different states, he never resided in Illinois or near Chicago, according to investigators. Photos indicate he visited the Chicago area a year before the killings, but it is unclear if he returned in 1982.
Authorities had long considered James Lewis a suspect in the Tylenol murders. Lewis died in 2023 after serving over 12 years in prison for sending an extortion note to Johnson & Johnson, the drug's manufacturer, demanding $1 million to cease the killings. Lewis consistently denied involvement in the poisonings but provided investigators with a detailed account of how the perpetrator might have operated after his 1982 arrest.