The University Daily
University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas
KANSAN
Monday, October 4,1982 Vol. 93, No. 31 USPS 650-640
Investigators suspect conspiracy in Tvlenol cyanide poisonings
By United Press International
CHICAGO — State Attorney General Tyrone Fahner said yesterday that evidence indicated more than one killer might have spiked Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules with the deadly cyanide that has killed at random seven people in the area.
Fahner said some of the booby-trapped capsules that have been examined so far could be seen "by the make-up," and that their capsules showed no visible evidence that they had been opened.
"This suggests more than one person was involved," said Fahner, the coordinator of a massive investigation by federal, state and local officers into the cyanide poisonings that have led to a city-wide ban on sales of all Tylenol products.
Fahner said the unknown killer "has a definite method — he had a plan."
Officials narrowed their theories on how the deadly capsules got into the hands of their victims and suggested that the killer or killers randomly selected area stores and placed one poisoned bottle at the front of each Tylenol display.
display:
"He put them in the front of the shelves so they would be the next one purchased," said Paul Zemitzich, a spokesman for Fahner.
AT AN IMPROMPTU news conference, Fahner said 100 agents were "on the street" conducting interviews and looking for leads on potential suspects.
About 25 suspects have been considered, but Fahner emphasized that there are "no hard leads." He said the suspects included "people in the retail chain who lost jobs."
Fahner downplayed earlier reports about a man arrested for shoplifting Tylenol bottles from a suburban store in August. He said investigators found that he is, but in the case of one of many suspects.
rms person is one of two dozen suspects. If we had the information to arrest him, we would have done so." Fahner said.
Sources close to the investigation indicated that the man might have been in jail while the
THE INVESTIGATORS' task has been compounded because the type of cyanide used by the killer or killers is available commercially and in wide distribution, Fahnner said.
Some pharmacists evidently are still selling Tylenol, despite the ban, Fahner said.
"You have to think they are doing it for a profit," he said, but he noted that most salesmen had their own store and would deliver from their shelves. He said those violating the ban "make our job more difficult."
Two police officers became ill the day after picking up what appeared to be Tylenol capsules from a parking lot near a suburban Howard Johnson's restaurant last Tuesday.
ZEMITZCH SAID cyanide could penetrate right through the skin.
"They were sick for several days — nausea, headache, syndromes that can be associated with it, very, very mild type of cyanide poisoning." "They're running tests on capsules now."
McNel Laboratories have recalled two lot numbers, MC2880 and 1910M, of 264,000 bottles on store shelves nationwide. The lot numbers have been found in the victim's possession but not in the inventory.
In Cleveland, authorities were running tests yesterday to determine whether two women hospitalized for cyanide poisoning were victims of trained Extra-Strength Tyleneol capsules.
Both women they became ill after taking the medication. Doctors said they found cyanide in the blood of both women, but authorities said they had established no link yet between the women's symptoms and the Extra-Strength Telemed.
NORMA DAVIS, 48, of Cleveland, was admitted to St. Alocasia Hospital Saturday
Poison hotlines deluged
Rv VICKY WILT
Staff Reporter
Local emergency rooms and poison hotlines have been inundated with calls concerning the cyanide found in Tylenol capsules, hospital officials said Saturday.
The calls followed the deaths last week of seven Chicago area residents who took Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules contaminated with cyanide.
Enid Terlizi, Lawrence Memorial Hospital emergency room nurse, said she was telling people not to take Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules. Many people threw their bottles out
Last week, Ruth Heth, 642 N. Sixth St., found that the bottle of Extra-Strength Tylene in her medicine chest had the lot number MB2738, on bottles containing cyanide-dried capsules.
Hess said she purchased the bottle at K-Mart, 3106 Iowa, two or three weeks ago, but had not taken any of the capsules. She returned the bottle to the store for a refund.
She said she was not kooked of taking other over-the-counter drugs and would continue to use them.
BILL SCHULTER, Super-X Drugs pharmacist, 1015 W. 23rd st. said customers were more
Tynool was pulled from Super-X's sheds, he said, and would be kept off shelves until the store closed.
cautious about buying over-the-counter pain killer drugs, but he said they were still buying aspirin.
Wayne Snodgrass, director of the University of Kansas Medical Center poison control center, explained the symptoms of cyanide poisoning.
"The symptoms of cyanide poisoning would be mumness, a feeling of fairness and, if a high level was detected, panic."
"It is a very dramatic poisoning and people should be aware of it," he said.
enoughbage, will be appalled by abuse. He advised people to call their physicians or emergency rooms if they felt ill after taking a capsule.
SNODGRASS SAID he believed the Tylonel tablets were adulterated with the cyanide at some other point besides the manufacturing point. He said Johnson and Johnson, which manufactures Tylonel, was an excellent company and Tylonel was an excellent product
Snodgrass said cyanide was a very uncommon troon of poisoning
"In the state of Kansas, for example, most of the cyanide cases that have occurred, have occurred in individuals who have had access to chemical laboratories," he said.
See TYLENOL page 5
Pat Hewitt and Susan Zukert, St. Louis freshmen, displayed signs during yesterday's "Peace Vigil" in front of the Douglas County Courthouse. The vigil, sponsored by the Lawrence Coalition for Peace and Justice, was held to promote the nuclear freeze movement and disarmament. Vigils have been held the first Sunday of June. The group will sponsor "Hibakuaika", a play portraying the lives of the survivors of a nuclear attack in Japan during World War II. Saturday evening at Lawrence High School.
FacEx suggests rule change
Staff Reporter
Bv DEBORAH BAER
The Faculty Executive Committee voted Friday to recommend an amendment of its Rules and Regulations, a move that one member said could weaken faculty participation in
FacEx will present the amendment to the Faculty Council Thursday.
The vote, an attempt to compromise with KU administrators, followed weeks of debate.
University Senate rules now say that Facet
names the nine faculty members who serve on
the university Committee on Promotions and Tenure.
But FaxEx member Ellen Gold said she thought the faculty could lose power by passage of this amendment. Gold said that she might have to reintroduce this week to formulate an alternate amendment.
FacEx wants to change the rules to state that FacEx would nominate, rather than name, members to the committee. The chancellor would nominate these nominations after consulting with FacEx.
THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT would not specify the number of names that FaeEx would
Budget plan should heed cuts,official says
See SENEX page 5
BY DIKR MILLER
Staff Reporter
Further reductions in funding for the University of Kansas that may result from an $18 million state revenue shortfall in September would be "gross unfair" if they did not take into account the UIC budget to fund IMM Bibb, associate director of business affairs, said yesterday.
direction of state revenue receipts for the first quarter of fiscal year 1863 were $23.5 million lower than the revenue projections.
But Bibb said he hoped any allotment system would consider the 4 percent budget cuts that were in place during his tenure.
term Muchmore, state budget director, said that an allotment system might be needed by early next year because of the drop in projected revenues. An allotment system would tell state agencies to spend less money than appropriated by the 1982 Logisature.
BBIA SIPA that only about 38 percent of the state agencies had met Gov John Carlin's
"I would hope that the 4 percent would be applied to the other agencies," he said.
Carlin said he would postpone any decision until Nov. 12 when KU and Kansas State University, the Budget Division and Legislative Research Department financial experts make official revenue projections for the fiscal year, which will end June 30.
Carlin said the allotment system could not be initiated legally until the figures showed a deficit, and the situation had not reached that point yet.
Keith Nitcher, University director of business affairs_, said he hoped the possible
Bob Hope enlightened an Allen Field House crowd of 5,200 Saturday night with his wit, sense of humor and singing skills.
See BUDGET page 5
Hope's performance was part of the Parent's Day activities held Saturday.
Bob Hope regales crowd for Parent's Day finale
By DARRELL PRESTON
Staff Reporter
Proceeded by a whirlwind of crimson and blue flags, pompons and two KU bands, comedian Bob Hope strutten onto a stage in Allen Field where he told his personal touch to Parent's Day festivities.
The show highlighted a day that included open houses, tours, luncheons and programs sponsored by academic departments and living facilities. The event was hosted by the Watson Library librarian and book sale.
At the pre-game show Sara Dickey, Leaow freshman, and her father and grandfathers were introduced and named honorary Parent's Day family.
The Dickey family, which has had five generations of KU students, was honored with a trophy presented by the University of Kansas Alumni Association.
THAT AFTERNOON, Hope had attended the Parent's Day football game, which KU lost to
"I want to tell you I was here early enough to see your football game," Hope told the evening's
crowd of 5,200 as he began his performance. "And I want to give you my condolences."
The football team also was the subject of another Hoege loke.
Telling the audience about the new Reader's Digest, condensed version of the Bible, Hope and Faith. (Penguin)
Monday Morning
... you can carry around for when you really need it, like at Jayhawk football games."
Religion, politics, entertainment, sports,
Polish people and drug use also were fodder for his song-and-dance routine, which lasted about an hour.
ARRIVING.
HOPE TOLD the audience that snorting coke could get somebody "10 years in prison or two years in Congress."
The 79-year-old comedian also made jokes about aging.
"It's not how you feel, it's how often," he said.
"It's how well you take care of yourself. Once a year I have my whole body sand-blasted.
"I was shocked when I heard that Shirely
was for WORF page 5.
Weather
Today will be fair with a high in the low to mid-80s and south to southeast winds at 10 to 20 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
Tonight will be partly cloudy with a low in the low 50s.
Tomorrow will be partly cloudy with a high in the low 80s.