Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders- Everything we know about Netflix's upcoming true-crime series

True crime fans, brace yourself! Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders, drops on Netflix this May, revisiting a chilling incident that shook America. Created by Joe Berlinger, this gripping docu-series will re-examine the 1982 poisoning that killed seven people. The weapon? Cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules. One of the very few unsolved cases in American history that not only altered safety consumer laws but also managed to instill fear among the public about the standard/safety of essential commodities like over-the-counter medicines.

The synopsis of the series reads,

"Who really laced Tylenol with cyanide? This true crime series examines alarming theories behind the unsolved 1982 killings- and tracks down a key suspect."

With the help of in-depth analysis, interviews, archival footage, and expert opinions, this series will try to dismantle the mystery behind the 1982 poisonings. Directed by Yotam Guendelman and Ari Pines, it will delve into the case of the Tylenol poisonings that altered product safety laws forever and remain unsolved even after four decades.

The trailer for Netflix's upcoming docuseries Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders dropped on April 30, 2025, and it looks quite promising. It featured the interview of the victims' families, the investigators and what looked like a rare footage of the prime suspect, James Lewis. Lewis who was sent to prison for the extortion case died at the age of 76 in 2023. Here's what we know about it.

When will Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders release?

Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders is all set to release on Monday, May 26, 2025, on Netflix. This release is a part of Netflix's May TV Shows lineup, which includes The Four Seasons, Unseen, Forever, American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden, and Forget You Not.

Here's a list of Netflix subscription plans:

• Standard plan with ads: $7.99/month
• Standard (ad free) plan starts from $17.99/month
• Premium plan starts from $24.99/month

What is Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders based on?

Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders is inspired by the true events of September 1982, when cyanide-induced Tylenol capsules took the lives of seven innocent people.

It started on an ordinary Wednesday morning in suburban Chicago in September 1982. Mary Kellerman, a bright 12-year-old from Elk Grove Village, took a Tylenol for her sore throat before school. Within minutes, she was dead. That same day, a young postal worker named Adam Janus swallowed a capsule from a fresh bottle and died within a few seconds.

The horrors multiplied when Adam's grieving family gathered at his home. Adam's brother and sister in law took the same Tylenol capsules and collapsed. By the end of the week, almost seven people across Chicago's suburbs were dead by consuming Extra Strength Tylenol capsules laced with potassium cyanide- a poison so deadly that it could kill victims within seconds.

The killer's methods were as simple and terrifying: someone had methodically removed bottles from the store's shelves and replaced them with cyanide capsules and returned them to the pharmacy and supermarkets across Chicago. The uncertainty of the attacks and the killer's ability to vanish without any trace created a panic-like situation. Despite an unprecedented manhunt, no arrests were made. The prime suspect, James Lewis, was convicted of writing an extortion letter to the Tylenol manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson.

More than four decades later, despite multiple suspects and the infamous James Lewis extortion attempt, the case remains unsolved. The Tylenol poisoning case led to tamper-proof packaging and stricter FDA regulations.

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As Netflix is all set to air the investigation, one question remains: Could modern forensic science crack the case after all these years? Will the seven Chicago residents get justice? Or will the Tylenol killer's identity remain one of American crime's best-kept secrets?

Also read: Netflix’s Angi: Fake Life, True Crime: The shocking truth behind the series

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