Johnny In News Today

>> he went out there a with friend of his and they saw johnny for three days. i got pictures of johnny in, like, the old western town and everything. >> reporter: and maybe it was something about the distance, said barbara -- >> david and i became very good friends when i was out in arizona. and we used to talk a lot. >> reporter: in fact, what she felt deep in her heart, she said, never did go away. >> ill always love david. >> reporter: and then it was june 25th, 1988. davids brother mark was ...

Swam in -- through pipes, under the little bridges on the little dirt roads, anywhere. you see a car that looked like his go by, you do a u-turn and you chased it. >> reporter: how long did that go on? >> that went on until they found his car. >> reporter: which, more than three months later, turned out to be at the airport. so did he just take off? his close friend didnt think so. >> maybe he got on a plane and he -- maybe he wanted to do something different. and then i was like, "no, he wouldn...

"wow, you know, would it work, what if?" >> reporter: strange how things turn out. barbara had moved back to florida. remarried again, had a daughter, took a job at walmart. but still held a candle for david, even as he lay under the ground practically next door to the very walmart where she worked. what did that do to you? >> its an eerie feeling. you know, that he was in that area, that i didnt even know about. >> reporter: such an odd coincidence. too odd, maybe? time for a chat. detective ve...

Thing. >> we were just too young. and to have a baby all the time, i -- you know, he was -- it was difficult for him. and it was difficult for me. >> reporter: so who was the first person to say, "you got to get a divorce?" >> my dad. >> reporter: howd david take it? >> so he was just kind of, like, lets just -- >> reporter: get it over with -- >> lets just find somebody, some lawyers and, you know, see what we have to do. and that was it. >> reporter: the two divorced in 1985. david arranged we...

Motive. david disappeared, remember, as he was preparing for a visit from his five year old son, john. >> they decided that david needed to be gotten rid of because they never wanted david to be in johnnys life. >> reporter: david was murdered in cold blood just to keep him out of his sons life? >> and boom, it clicked for me all of a sudden. i said, "wow." i said, "thats over child custody. thats why hes not here today." >> reporter: that was the motive? >> that was the motive. >> reporter: but...