Idaho case may be connected to the 1982 Tylenol murders, officials say

BOISE, Idaho (AP) – A man discovered dead in an Idaho church decades ago may be connected to unsolved poisonings in 1982 that were dubbed the Tylenol murders and ushered in child safety caps for medicines, authorities unveiled Wednesday.

Key points

• Detective Tim Cooper of the Ada County Sheriff's Office reopened a cold case investigation in 2019 that led authorities to identify Dr.
• An engraved key discovered with the body in the Boise church led investigators to a street in Jacksonville, Florida, where a property owner disappeared in 1982.
• It triggered a widespread recall of the over-the-counter painkillers.

Detective Tim Cooper of the Ada County Sheriff's Office reopened a cold case investigation in 2019 that led authorities to identify Dr. Mathew Francis Betkouski posthumously. He fatally poisoned himself with cyanide more than 40 years ago and was buried anonymously.

Once detectives identified Betkouski and began to learn regarding him, they came to believe he was a feasible suspect in the killings of seven individuals in the Chicago area with cyanide-laced Tylenol, Cooper remarked.

No one was ever charged in those killings. It triggered a widespread recall of the over-the-counter painkillers.

Notably, an engraved key discovered with the body in the Boise church led investigators to a street in Jacksonville, Florida, where a property owner disappeared in 1982. They applied photos and DNA testing to confirm his identity.

Taken together, the developments around idaho case may be connected to the 1982 Tylenol murders, officials say point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.