A MYSTERIOUS man found dead in an Idaho church 44 years ago has been identified and linked to an infamous cold case that left seven people poisoned to death.
The man in the church has been named as Californian chemist Dr. Mathew Francis Betkouski, and cops think he has a connection to the unsolved Chicago Tylenol Murders in September 1982.
He committed suicide in December of that year, using cyanide poisoning and was carrying 19 $100 bills, but investigators found no identification.
Betkouski, who had suffered from mental health issues, left behind a suicide note signed “William Toomey,” but authorities later determined that the name was fictitious.
Despite decades of investigation, his true identity remained a mystery, earning him the nickname “Unknown Wanderer.”
He was eventually cremated and buried in Eagle, Idaho.
But Ada police announced in a press conference that they had started looking to connect Betkouski to the Tylenol Murders cold case in Chicago which left seven people dead in 24 hours.
The victims, ranging in age from 12 to 35, died after taking Extra Strength Tylenol capsules that had been contaminated with cyanide.
Cops were keen to stress “we are not naming him as a suspect” and will continue to look for leads.
But forensic psychiatrist Dr. Park Dietz, who initially worked on the case with the FBI, said: “Law enforcement are being careful about naming him as a suspect but I am not bound by same rules.
“I tried to show he was a viable suspect and a large audience of forensic psychologists agreed.
“Some were skeptical but believed he was a viable suspect, a few thought he was the killer.
“Criminal profilers at FBI academy agreed he was a suspect. They thought we had solved the most important unsolved crime of my lifetime.
“Polls of each audience showed overwhelming agreement that the wanderer was a viable suspect for the 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders, and many were as convinced we had solved the crime.
“I was around at the beginning of this and now in 2026, I am here to see the very likely closure.”
Authorities were led to Betkouski, who was believed to be between 35 and 45-years-old and lived across five states during his life, after finding some keys on his person which originated from Jacksonville, Florida where he was working and had rented an apartment.
From there, a brother who was living in the Los Angeles area was found.
He still had Betkouski’s possessions which included photos, letters, ID, a map of Chicago and a small bottle of cyanide.
Although the formula was not consistent with the medication used in the Tylenol murders, writings suggested he was interested in the area.
Photos showed he did visit Chicago, but in December 1981 – nine months before the killings.
It remains unclear if he returned or not.
The Tylenol deaths occurred just over two months before Betkouski was found dead in Boise.
He had been fired from his job as a chemist and cold case detective Tim Cooper told a press conference that he had been taking home materials from the lab and was terminated.
“He was conducting experiments in his garden,” Cooper revealed, while also stressing Betkouski’s mental health issues.
A head injury which required surgery left him reportedly paranoid, which sparked irrational fears of a tracking device being inserted into his brain by medics.
The poisonings in Chicago remain unsolved and led to major changes in the packaging of over-the-counter medications.
Investigators concluded the poison had not originated there, leading to the theory that someone had removed, refilled and resealed individual capsules before returning them to store shelves.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/17048428/unknown-wanderer-mathew-francis-betkouski-tylenol-murders/
