James Lewis, Prime Suspect in 1982 Tylenol Murders, Found Dead in Cambridge Home

James Lewis, the prime suspect in the 1982 Tylenol murders, was found dead in his Cambridge, Massachusetts home on Sunday, according to a statement from Cambridge Police Superintendent Frederick Cabral.

Lewis was the prime suspect in the 1982 Tylenol murders, in which seven people in the greater Chicago area died after taking Tylenol laced with cyanide. He was also the author of an extortion letter to Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary, the maker of Tylenol, demanding $1 million to stop the killings.

Lewis served more than 12 years in prison for the extortion letter. After responding to a report of an unresponsive person at 4 p.m. Sunday, officers, firefighters and EMTs found Lewis dead in his home. The cause of death was determined to be not suspicious.

The 1982 Tylenol murders sparked a nationwide scare and prompted changes in product safety regulations. Johnson & Johnson recalled 31 million bottles of Tylenol and introduced tamper-resistant packaging.

Lewis’ death marks the end of a 38-year investigation into the Tylenol murders. The case remains unsolved, and the motive behind the murders remains a mystery.