About This Episode
What is this episode about?
The episode "Casefile Extra: Chad Shelton & Duane Johnson" from Casefile covers the deaths of 11-month-old Chad Shelton and 24-year-old Duane Johnson in Omaha, Nebraska, in September 1978. Chad is admitted to hospital with what doctors first suspect is food poisoning, but his condition rapidly worsens and he dies two days later. Within hours, in another part of the city, a healthy 24-year-old man collapses with identical symptoms.
As more people fall ill, health officials scramble to contain what looks like the start of an epidemic, and the city braces for a wider outbreak. A nurse's chance discovery then shifts the investigation from a medical mystery into something far more sinister, reframing the deaths as a potential case of deliberate poisoning rather than natural illness.
The episode carries a Content Warning for crimes against children, animal cruelty, and suicide, reflecting the disturbing nature of the material covered.
Hosts and release
The host remains anonymous, in keeping with the show's long-running format. Research and writing are credited to Jessica Larsen, production and music to Mike Migas, and audio editing to Anthony Telfer. This installment is part of the Casefile Extra strand of the podcast, released on 24 October 2026 as episode 429, running 67 minutes. Casefile has covered true crime cases from Australia, the UK, and the US in a scripted, narrator-led format since 2016, releasing new episodes weekly across platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon Music.
