UPDATE — On April 27, 2011, officials of the federal
penitentiary in Florence, Colorado, approached Ted Kaczynski on behalf of the FBI and
requested a voluntary sample of DNA in reference to the 1982 Tylenol Murders. This
information was revealed by Kaczynski himself, in a petition to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of
California, in which he sought to halt the auction of his personal effects on the grounds
that those effects might constitute evidence in the Tylenol Murder case. That court
declined Kaczynski's request on the grounds that he had not been accused of complicity in
the crimes.
In 2007, on the 35th anniversary of the Tylenol Murders,
site owner Douglas Oswell forwarded the following letter to several Chicago-area media
outlets and the Chicago Police Department.
The twenty-fifth anniversary of the infamous Tylenol Murders is now upon us. While the
identity of the killer remains unknown, and promises to remain unknown, one individual,
world-renowned for a series of infamous crimes that mirror the motivational profile of the
Tylenol Killer, seems to fit the bill as a potential person of interest in the case. That
individual is Theodore John Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber, now serving multiple
life terms for a series of bombings that began in the late seventies and continued until
his arrest in 1996.
My reasons for including Kaczynski as a person of interest are as follows:
1. As the Unabomber, Kaczynski based his operations in the Chicago area from his
parents’ home in Lombard. Plotting the rough coordinates of the Tylenol tampering
scenes and those of the Kaczynskis’ home produces a most singular pattern on a map of the greater Chicago area. The pattern
is that of a semi-circle, with a base originating at the tampering site in Winfield,
running nearly in a straight west-to-east line through Lombard and ending at the location
of the tampering site in Chicago. There are no tampering sites south of this west-to-east
line.
2. The only known death associated with the Tylenol Murders outside of the Chicago
area occurred in Sheridan, Wyoming. Sheridan sits just outside the Montana border, on one
of two main Interstate routes (Interstsate 90) from Kaczynski’s residence in Lincoln,
Montana to the greater Chicago area. (See Google Maps)
3. Kaczynski made an extended visit to his parents’ house in Lombard during the
years 1978 and 1979, for the purpose of mailing/placing bombs. Although his appearance in
Chicago has not been confirmed after 1979, an FBI interview with his brother suggests that
he returned on at least one occasion after that year. Quoting the transcript of that
interview, “DAVE's memory of that time was extremely vague, but he seemed to remember
that TED once drove DAVE's car to Montana and that he brought the car back to Chicago.
DAVE could not recall the date, or recall an approximate time period. DAVE also had a
vague, dream-like recollection of TED returning from Montana to Chicago for a visit. He
thought that it could have been in 1979, or 1980, or conceivably at some later date. DAVE
could not provide more specific details as to those vague memories.”
4. Kaczynski’s home state of Montana is notorious for gold mining and gold
extraction from ore using the cyanide leaching process.
5. Kaczynski is a known murderer whose motivational profile, psychological profile and
criminal signature fit hand-in-glove with the characteristics ascribed to mass poisoners
generally, and the Tylenol Killer in particular. Further, in his role as the Unabomber,
Kaczynski did not content himself with killing generally, but killed in such a manner as
to maximize publicity for his alter-ego, seeking that publicity on a national and even
global scale. In the year 1982 and prior, Kaczynski’s bombs were calculated to commit
mass and indiscriminate murder, as typified by his 1980* airline bomb which would have
caused a major airline disaster had it worked as planned, the 1981 firebomb at the
University of Utah which failed to detonate, and the 1982 firebomb at UC Berkeley, which
did not ignite. Although his true motive for killing pertained to the deep-seated
inadequacies and sexual frustrations from which he suffered, Kaczynski’s stated
motive was a desire to destroy the public’s faith in the technological-industrial
system. In that regard it should be noted that, in their immediate aftermath, the Tylenol
Murders did indeed foster a sense of deep public confusion and distrust in the production,
packaging and distribution of consumer products.
6. Entries in his journals show that in 1982, the year of the Tylenol Murders,
Kaczynski was suffering from extreme frustration over his inability to create and deploy a
lethal bomb.
From journal entries in 1982:
“. . . My projects for revenge on the technological society are expensive and I
need money to carry them out. For instance, last fall I attempted a bombing and spent
nearly three hundred bucks just for travel expenses, motel, clothing for disguise, etc.
aside from cost of materials for bomb. And then the thing failed to explode. Damn. This
was the firebomb found in U. of Utah Business School outside door of room containing some
computer stuff.” (U.S. v. Kaczynski)
“May about 1982 I sent a bomb to a computer expert named Patrick Fis[h]er. His
secretary opened it. One newspaper said she was in hospital? in good condition with arm
and chest cuts. Other newspaper said bomb drove fragments of wood into her flesh. But no
indication that she was permanently disabled. Frustrating that I can’t seem to mak[e]
lethal bomb. .... But I must succeed, must get revenge. Not long after foregoing, I think
in June or July, I went to U. of California Berkeley and placed in computer science
building a bomb consisting of a pipe bomb in a gallon can of gasoline. According to
newspaper, vice chairman of computer sci. dept. picked it up. He was considered to be
“out of danger of losing any fingers”, but would need further surgery for bone
and tendon damage in hand. Apparently pipe bomb went off but did not ignite gasoline. I
don’t understand it. Frustrated. ...” (U.S. v. Kaczynski)
* * * * * * * *
Although the dearth of evidence in the Tylenol case would seem to preclude identifying
and convicting any suspect, no matter how promising, one purported piece of evidence might
be of help. A 1982 Newsweek article about the murders described a drugstore surveillance
photo showing a “bearded man” watching as one of the victims purchased the
bottle of Tylenol that eventually proved fatal to her. That article states, “For a
while last week, the Lewis connection seemed even firmer. A Chicago TV station released a
grainy, indistinct drugstore surveillance photo showing one poison victim, flight
attendant Paula Prince, buying her fatal bottle of Tylenol -- and a bearded man who
resembled Lewis watching in the background.” If this photo is still in existence, it
might easily be compared to photographs of Kaczynski, whose facial features contain
distinctive characteristics.**
Thanks very much for your time. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate
to contact me.
Sincerely,
Douglas Oswell
* The bombing of Flight 444 occurred on November 15, 1979.
** It now appears unlikely that Kaczynski, or any other suspect, will be identified on
the basis of this photograph.
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