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UPDATE - The Tylenol Murders

September 29, 2026 · 25 min

Show notes

In September of 1982, seven people in the Chicago area died after ingesting over-the-counter Tylenol capsules that had been laced with lethal doses of potassium cyanide before being placed on store shelves. Although there was a massive investigation and multiple people were closely examined, no one has ever been charged with the hideous crime.

Three months after the murders, an unknown man walked into a Catholic church in Boise, Idaho and swallowed a lethal dose of cyanide. He had gotten rid of all identifying documents and cards, leaving behind cash for a burial or cremation along with a note signed with the alias Wm. L. Toomey.

Just last week, the Ada County Sheriff's Office announced they had officially identified the unidentified man, known as the Unknown Wanderer, as Dr. Matthew Francis Betkouski, a PhD scientist who suffered from mental health issues and had a deep fascination for chemistry.

After identifying Betkouski, detectives began uncovering a series of incidents and pieces of evidence which appear to circumstantially link Dr. Betkouski to the Tylenol Murders in one of the most major investigative avenues to be pursued in that case in decades. The question now remains to be answered: Was Dr. Betkouski the Tylenol Poisoner?

Trace Evidence - Tylenol Murders Full Episode

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Music Courtesy of:

"Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
"Echoes of Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
"Galactic Rap" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
"Chasing Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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