Naman Shrestha
In 1982, when cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules led to the death of several people in and around Chicago, Illinois, the entire community was shaken to its core. The seventh victim reported dead due to the poisoning was a single 35-year-old flight attendant named Paula Prince. The tragic killings of the innocent forced the authorities to spread a warning against the Tylenol brand. The entire ordeal is covered in a detailed manner on Netflix’s ‘Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders,’ a three-part documentary series that also contains in-depth interviews with the loved ones of the victims.
Paula Prince Was an Experienced Flight Attendant With Lots to Live For
Paula Jean Prince was born on November 21, 1946, in Omaha, Nebraska, to Lloyd Nash Prince and Margaret Squires Prince, who raised her alongside three other children, including Betty J. Prince Norman, Carol Prince, and Gilbert John Prince. The youngest of her siblings, Paula grew up to become an adventurous and sociable woman with loads of friends. Her compassionate and energetic personality allowed her to light up any room she walked into. The woman with contagious laughter also loved to travel and explore new places, something she was able to do because of her job.
Paula was a long-time flight attendant for United Airlines. However, she also ventured into the entrepreneurial field with some of her friends as they reportedly established a party-planning business. She resided in a high-rise condo in the Old Town neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois. With many things to look forward to in life, fate intervened, and the bright 35-year-old woman officially met her demise out of the blue on October 1, 1982.
Paula Prince Was Found Unresponsive in Her House by Her Sister
On the night of September 29, 1982, Paula Prince went to a Walgreens on Wells Street in Chicago and purchased a 24-count bottle of Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules, unaware that those pills would ultimately become the reason for his demise. As soon as she reached her Chicago apartment, she ingested at least one capsule of Tylenol. For the next couple of days, nobody could get in touch with her. Worried about her well-being and whereabouts, her sister, Carol Prince, went to Paula’s house to check up on her. On the evening of October 1, 1982, Carol discovered her sister’s remains inside the residence and informed the police about the situation. When the authorities rushed to the scene, they officially declared her dead and also found the bottle of Extra-Strength Tylenol she had purchased in her bathroom.
The cyanide from the laced Tylenol capsule was reportedly found in her bloodstream. Not only that, the detectives also found a lethal amount of cyanide on her lips, which would be enough to take away the life of anyone trying to resuscitate her. Thus, it was concluded that she was the seventh and last victim of the Tylenol murders that took hold of the entire community. During the investigation of Paula Prince’s murder, the authorities also took a look at the surveillance footage of the Walgreens where she bought the lethal Tylenol on the night of her demise. In the image, the Chicago PD spotted a suspicious bearded man just a few feet away from Paula inside the store.
He was initially believed to be the one who had tampered with the Tylenol capsules. When her death was connected to the other victims who had died after ingesting cyanide-laced Tylenol bottles, the investigators realized that something far more sinister was in the works. Over the years, the police suspected a couple of individuals — James Lewis and Roger Arnold — to be responsible for the murders, but could not find enough evidence against either of them. Unfortunately, despite their best attempts to get to the bottom of the case, the Tylenol poisonings, including the murder of Paula Prince, remain a mystery yet to be solved.
Read More: Adam and Theresa Janus: Who Were the Tylenol Murder Victims? How Did They Die?
