Solving Cold Cases

Solving Cold Cases

Our first case is a classic example of a complex and unconventional case that became increasingly difficult to solve. The disappearance of Chandra Levy failed to match up with any of the expectations that we might have from watching television and films. Her involvement in the world of politics led many to have conspiratorial views of her eventual demise. The case took nine years to reach a satisfying conclusion. Who exactly was Chandra Levy?
Born on the 14th of April in 1977, Chandra was the daughter of Robert and Susan Levy. They lived in the town of Modesto in California. The family was Jewish and attended a synagogue called Congregation Beth Shalom. Once she had completed high school, Chandra enrolled in San Francisco State University, where she studied for a degree in journalism. From there she took on several intern roles in California while studying for a master’s degree focused on public administration.
During the final year of this program, Chandra was required to move to Washington D.C. for another paid intern job. She would be working with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, starting in October of 2000. She worked at the bureau’s main offices and was asked to focus chiefly on the public affairs department. Her work was enough to impress her division head, a man named Dan Dunne, who made a special statement on her highly competent approach to dealing with the inquiries from the media pertaining to the upcoming execution of the Oklahoma Bomber, Timothy McVeigh.
At this point, Chandra began to make plans to move in with her boyfriend. She told her landlord, suggesting to him that she was considering breaking her lease to do so. It seems she changed her mind, however, later suggesting to him that the relationship “didn’t work out.” Despite her good work, Chandra’s internship position was terminated in April 2001, as her academic eligibility had expired four months earlier. Having already completed the requirements for her master’s degree, Chandra was set to move back to California the following May to attend her graduation.

The Disappearance 

The last time anyone saw Chandra Levy alive was on the 1st of May. The DC Metropolitan Police Department was alerted five days later by Chandra’s parents, calling from California to say that they had not heard from their child since the beginning of the month. The police department checked the hospitals and Chandra’s apartment. Finding no signs of foul play, they reported that to her parents.

The Investigation 

Two days later, Chandra’s father called the police again to inform them of an affair that had been taking place between his daughter and a Congressman, one he would later say was Gary Condit. The police received corroborating evidence from Chandra’s aunt, who had also been told about the relationship. With this information, the local police obtained a search warrant and moved in on Chandra’s apartment. During their formal search of the premises, they discovered her identification, her credit cards, and her mobile phone, all stored inside her purse alongside two suitcases that had been partially packed. Her answering machine was full of messages, both from the police and from her family.
One police officer attempted to perform a search of the laptop computer inside the apartment, but without the correct training, instead only managed to corrupt the search files. This information on the laptop would take months for the qualified technicians to reconstruct. After careful analysis and a lot of work, it was discovered that the machine had been used to scour the internet for information regarding “Amtrak,” “Baskin-Robbins”, “Condit,” “Southwest Airlines”, and a weather forecast by The Washington Post. The final search on the computer was made to find out more information about the Pierce-Klingle Mansion, the administrative hub of Rock Creek Park. Police searched the area around the building and nearby roads but found nothing. The investigation was becoming increasingly difficult.
One of the most important threads appeared to be the relationship Chandra shared with Gary Condit, the US Congressman. It didn’t take long for the relationship to hit the media. Coupled with Chandra’s family holding numerous events and vigils designed to help find their daughter, the news networks had a great deal of material at their disposal. The mantra “bring Chandra home” echoed through all of the family’s actions. But for the congressman, more immediate questions were being posted. Condit, a married man, at first denied any involvement with Chandra. Despite the police reiterating that Condit was not a suspect in the case, it was the belief of the family that the Congressman was being purposefully evasive and potentially hiding a clue relating to Chandra’s disappearance.