Idaho Case May Be Linked to 1982 Tylenol Murders, Officials Say, tell me about this news in (https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/tylenol-murders-idaho-cold-case-chicago/2026/09/23/id/1270482/)

According to the report, authorities announced that a decades-old cold case involving a man found dead in an Idaho church may be connected to the infamous, unsolved 1982 Chicago Tylenol poisonings.

Here are the key details from the news:

• Identification of the Deceased: Detective Tim Cooper of the Ada County Sheriff’s Office reopened a cold case in 2019, ultimately identifying the man posthumously as Dr. Mathew Francis Betkouski. He had committed suicide via cyanide poisoning more than 40 years earlier and was initially buried anonymously in Boise, Idaho.

• The Investigation: Investigators traced an engraved key found with his body back to a property in Jacksonville, Florida, where a property owner had vanished in 1982. DNA testing and photographic evidence confirmed his identity.

• Possible Connection to the 1982 Murders:

  • Betkouski had worked in drugstores.

  • Former associates stated he had a history of volatile behavior, was obsessed with committing the “perfect crime,” and once remarked that cyanide was an ideal method to kill without detection.

  • Detectives discovered cyanide in his desk, though it appeared homemade and was a different chemical compound from the type used in the 1982 Chicago attacks.

  • While Betkouski never lived in Illinois or close to Chicago, photos confirmed he visited the Chicago area about a year prior to the murders; it remains unconfirmed if he returned in 1982.

• Current Status: The Chicago Police Department confirmed it is in contact with Idaho detectives to review their findings. However, Chicago authorities have not officially named Betkouski a suspect, and the Tylenol murders case remains an open, unsolved investigation.