The Approved Theory

The Approved Theory of the Tylenol Murders

Had officials revealed the true modus operandi of the Tylenol killer, the public would have learned in 1982 what they're beginning to learn today; that the U.S. government, specifically the FDA was, as it is, incapable of securing the drug distribution channel. The safety of our drug supply for the past twenty-six years has been in the hands of corporate executives and organized criminals; their difference negligible. Johnson & Johnson, the FDA and FBI covered up important evidence so that the Tylenol killer would not be brought to justice.

Evidence about the Tylenol tamperings was skewed, altered, and buried in a well planned campaign of deception that consisted of four components of what I call the “approved theory”. The approved theory was developed to convince the public that the Tylenol capsules were tampered with by some "madman" after the Tylenol bottles were placed on the retail store shelves. According to J&J executives and government officials, the capsules could not have been adulterated while in the channel of distribution. But in fact, the Tylenol capsules were filled with cyanide in the distribution channel by an agent of Johnson & Johnson or one of its customers.

The Four Lies of the Approved Theory

1.) Tylenol was bottled and packaged at the manufacturing facility

Information regarding the packaging and distribution of Tylenol was withheld by Johnson & Johnson and the FDA. They made deceptive statements regarding the time and location of the packaging and distribution of Tylenol to divert suspicion away from the actual tampering location. By convincing law enforcement officials to forego any reasonable investigation of the distribution channel J&J effectively eliminated itself, its distributors, and its repackagers as suspects in the tampering.

2.) The tampering occurred locally, at the retail stores

This component was the cornerstone of the “approved theory”. In order to “prove” that the tampering didn’t occur during distribution, Johnson & Johnson had to convince the public that the tamperings occurred locally, at the retail stores. As long as no one believed the tampering occurred during manufacturing or distribution, neither J&J nor its distributors would be held liable for the tampering or murders.

3.) Cyanide corrodes through gelatin-based capsules within days

That gelatin-based Tylenol capsules would show signs of corrosion within a few days of being filled with cyanide was pawned off as “scientific evidence” that the tampering occurred after the Tylenol had been delivered to local retail stores. Therefore, according to J&J and the FDA, the contamination could not have occurred five months earlier when the Tylenol was at the McNeil manufacturing plants. They further concluded, illogically, that the Tylenol couldn’t have been adulterated at any point in the channel of distribution. This hypothesis was easily discredited by the actual scientific evidence in 1982. In 1986 this component of the approved theory was exposed as a complete fraud.

4.) The Tylenol Killer was an anonymous unemployed madman.

The FBI was quick to develop a psychological profile of the Tylenol killer as an angry white loner. This illusory character, commonly referred to as a madman, drew attention away from the obvious suspects working within the channel of distribution. The profile of the Tylenol killer was heavily promoted in the media and kept the public focused on a madman who was stalking Chicago area food and drug stores.

By successfully promoting all four components of the approved theory, Johnson & Johnson removed themselves and their customers from the list of suspects most likely to have been involved in the Tylenol poisonings.

The approved theory of the Tylenol murders was a red herring that effectively drew the American public off the path that would have led them straight to the dangers that lurked within the unsecured drug distribution channel. The successful promotion of the approved theory allowed Johnson & Johnson and Jewel Companies Inc. to avoid hundreds of millions of dollars in legal fees, penalties and lost revenue.

THE TYLENOL MURDERS