Idaho officials identify 1982 suicide victim, seek out potential connection to Tylenol murders

Key Points:

• Idaho investigators have identified a man who died by cyanide poisoning in a Boise church in 1982 as Dr. Mathew Betkouski, a chemist with a history of mental illness and volatility, and believe he could be linked to the 1982 Tylenol murders in Chicago.
• Betkouski had a fascination with cyanide and the "perfect crime," and personal items found included cyanide and a map of Chicago; however, there is no evidence confirming his presence in Chicago during the time of the poisonings.
• The Ada County Sheriff’s Office shared their findings with Chicago and Arlington Heights police, who continue to investigate the Tylenol murders as an active cold case, with the FBI remaining the lead agency.
• Some experts, including a forensic psychiatrist, consider Betkouski a viable suspect, but others, like former U.S. attorney Jeremy Margolis, dismiss the connection, maintaining that James Lewis, who died in 2023, remains the prime suspect.
• The case involving Betkouski will be featured in an upcoming "Unsolved Mysteries" documentary, with investigators seeking new leads, particularly regarding his movements between October and December 1982.