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.