Idaho police identify 1982 "Unknown Wanderer" and explore possible link to Chicago Tylenol murders
Boise authorities have identified the man found dead in a church in 1982 as Dr. Mathew Francis Betkouski and have shared evidence with Chicago investigators to assess any connection to the 1982 Tylenol poisonings.
Boise police announced Wednesday that the man discovered dead in Sacred Heart Catholic Church in December 1982, long known only as the "Unknown Wanderer," has been identified as Dr. Mathew Francis Betkouski, a former Los Angeles resident with a background in chemistry. The identification was made after detectives matched DNA from a wallet found with the body to a surviving brother in California.
Investigators said Betkouski’s belongings included a hand-drawn map of Chicago, photographs taken in the city in late 1981, and a small bottle of homemade sodium cyanide. While the cyanide differed from the potassium cyanide used in the 1982 Chicago Tylenol poisonings, the evidence prompted Ada County officials to forward their findings to the Chicago Police Department for further review.
Betkouski came from a prominent Los Angeles family and had a documented interest in chemistry and explosives. He worked in Jacksonville, Florida, for a flavors and fragrances company before being hired by Lockheed in New Mexico, where coworkers recalled him discussing the use of poison in over-the-counter medication. He was dismissed from Lockheed in March 1982 after an altercation at a pharmacy involving attempts to obtain pills for an experiment.
Detective Tim Cooper, who reopened the case in 2019, explained that a key found on Betkouski’s person led investigators to a hardware store in Jacksonville, ultimately connecting the keys to his brother’s property records and confirming his identity through DNA testing.
Police emphasized that they are not naming Betkouski as a suspect in the Tylenol murders because they cannot confirm his presence in Chicago during the week the poisonings occurred. However, they hope the new information may generate leads for the still-open cold case.
"While our office may have identified some connection to 1982 events, we're not naming him as a suspect," Detective Cooper said. "Our goal today is to generate new leads to this case and possibly others."
Chicago authorities confirmed they have received the material and will continue to evaluate any relevance to the ongoing investigation.