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Could Boise's "Unknown Wanderer" be linked to Chicago Tylenol murders?

Could Boise's "Unknown Wanderer" be linked to Chicago Tylenol murders?

Summary

Police in Boise, Idaho, identified a man found dead in 1982 as Dr. Matthew Francis Betkouski. Investigators found possible links between him and the unsolved 1982 Chicago Tylenol poisonings, but have not named him a suspect.

Key Facts

  • The man, called the "Unknown Wanderer," was found dead in a Boise church in December 1982 with no ID but with $1,900 in cash and many unusual items.
  • Police found a key among his belongings tied to Jacksonville, Florida, which helped identify him through family DNA.
  • His real name is Dr. Matthew Francis Betkouski, from a well-known Los Angeles family.
  • Betkouski had a history of mental illness and a brain injury from 1974.
  • He had a strong interest in chemistry, explosives, and poisons.
  • He worked in Jacksonville where coworkers heard him talk about using poison and committing the perfect crime.
  • Police have evidence connecting him to the Chicago area in 1982, including photos, a hand-drawn map of Chicago, and homemade cyanide.
  • Investigators shared this evidence with Chicago police, but they cannot confirm he was there during the Tylenol poisonings and do not name him as a suspect.
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