Did one man's dream lead him to a missing girl's body? | Forensic Files

We used to have our own little saying, you know, we'd meet each other at the crossroads one day. We just had our
little connection there. It was you and Crystal. Yeah. It was when we pass, we'll meet at that crossroad. That's
kind of a heavy conversation with a 14-year-old, isn't it? Yeah. But she was like that. She was very smart. Crystal
Champagne's body was found deep in the brush more than five miles from where she disappeared on foot by this man,
John Tomlinson. So, how did Tomlinson happen to find her in the very first place he looked? Because of the dream.
What did you actually dream? All I in my dream was remember just staring up and being standing right underneath the hue
long bridge. But you know that sounds a little suspicious, John. I mean that you would
just happen to drive to the exact spot where the body is. Yeah, it's in my dream. Are you telling me you have ESP?
I don't. You're clairvoyant. It just I know. I get that feeling. Tomlinson wasn't alone. He was with his
then girlfriend Stacy. There there's another thing that I had a problem with your statement. So, at one point you're
telling the police that you tell Stacy to stay in the car, but you don't want her getting upset if you find the body.
But then you tell Stacy to go look at the body, right? That that seems to be inconsistent. Well, it's it's it's not
inconsistent. It was like a double check. You know, when Stacy called 911, the call is is strange.
911 operator 25. I need West Police Department right away, please. What's the problem? Uh, I've been looking.
We've been looking for a 5-year-old little girl. I mean, we've been looking for a little girl since yesterday. Since
5:00 yesterday. Uh-huh. Uh, when we putting out uh flyers out here in B City, somebody told us they seen her on
a levy. We came out here, started looking on Levy, there's a body. She doesn't say, "Oh my god, I think we just
found Crystal." She says, "You know, we were looking for a 5-year-old." "No, it was 5:00 and we found a body." She's
upset. Well, no. I mean, it's kind of the opposite. If I had just found my best friend's daughter, I'd be going,
"Oh my god, I think we just found Crystal Champagne. We just found 14-year-old." And she doesn't say that
on the phone. Isn't that a little strange? It might be, but she could be a little upset and confused, too.
Tomlinson says that the man who killed Crystal was the same man who confessed to her murder, Damon Tibido.
Well, tell me again. I mean, why why would Damon kill her? Why do you believe he killed her? Cuz he did something
wrong at first. What do you mean wrong at first? Touching her wrong. She was probably saying that I'm
going to tell. I know Crystal. Crystal would have said, you know, don't touch me. That's
not right. you know, and she'd tell. You think that's probably what happened to her?
That someone touched her inappropriately and you know, and she she was going to go tell daddy is what it was. Did you
kill Crystal? No. Did you have anything to do with her death? No. Even though you're the one who found her body. You
went directly to where her body was. Sure. And that's just intuition. Intuition. It's strange, but it's true.

Damon Thibodeaux was sent to death row for the 1996 murder of Louisiana teen Crystal Champagne, but hear to what the man who found the 14-year-old's body had to say. John Tomlinson tells "48 Hours"' Erin Moriarty what led him to look for Crystal in a place no one else had been searching. Watch "Last Chance" Saturday at 10/9c on CBS.

Brief Summary

John Tomlinson claims a dream led him to Crystal Champagne's body, raising questions about his involvement and the 911 call made by his girlfriend Stacy.

Key points

The Dream Connection. A mysterious dream leads to the discovery of a body.
Strange 911 Call. The 911 call raises questions about the emotional response to finding a body.
Confession of Guilt. Tomlinson implicates another man in the murder of Crystal Champagne.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

We just had our little connection there.

Reflecting on a deep bond.

0:03WatchMar 28, 2014

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