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CNN Live Today

Police, Media Gather in D.C. Over Levy Body

Aired May 23, 2002 - 10:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Up first this hour on CNN, the Chandra Levy disappearance and a mystery beyond the grave. Police have carefully scooped up her scattered bones and clothing, found in a Washington park, and they are now going to try to piece together the answers to haunting questions of her death.

CNN national correspondent Bob Franken is standing by. He's got the very latest on the investigation. Bob was the first to bring that news to us from Washington yesterday.

Good morning -- Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon.

And the search is, as Carol said, in the laboratory, as they are going over with very, very, very fine tools the remains, the human remains, that were found here at Rock Creek yesterday. But if you look behind me, of course, what you see is the whole collection of news cameras. Just beyond those news cameras, the investigation. The evidence experts are out scouring the area near where Chandra Levy was discovered -- her remains were discovered -- looking for other clues, looking for other remains, looking for other articles of clothing, looking for something that might yield a clue into what is the growing suspicion that this was a homicide.

It is not officially so. It is considered a death investigation. But if the police decide there was foul play -- and most believe that there was -- then it becomes that homicide investigation.

Chandra Levy, of course, had been missing for over a year. She disappeared as a 24-year-old former intern who had, in fact, become so well known around the world that the controversy raised furiously until September 11, when the story suddenly disappeared from the news pages, pretty much until yesterday, and the discovery of her body.

It was a story fueled by her relationship with Congressman Gary Condit, Democratic congressman from California, who has now lost a bid for reelection, in part because -- in large part because -- of the scandal that surrounded the relationship that he acknowledged, finally, that he had with Chandra Levy, telling investigators, according to law enforcement sources, that he did have sexual relationship with Chandra Levy.

But now, the investigation into exactly what happened to Chandra Levy had a lot of questions for the police. Why, since this was such a primary search area so heavily searched, why were they not able to find the body sooner?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF CHARLES RAMSEY, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE: Seventeen hundred acres of Rock Creek Park was gone over by members of our department. The problem is that this is that this is an urban forest; it's really not just a park with a lot of trees. This is very rugged terrain; this was well off the beaten path, not near any roadways or jogging paths or anything like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: Now, the question is was that the only possibility, that the overgrowth had covered things up. Another possibility was that the body was brought to the area here after the search was concluded -- those kinds of questions.

What about the role of Congressman Gary Condit? The Condit people have said all along he had no role whatsoever in the disappearance, and police have continued to say that he is not considered a suspect. But nevertheless, they continue to ask their questions -- Leon.

HARRIS: Bob, let me ask you about the family, Chandra Levy's parents. We have been talking about them quite a bit, and you have followed pretty much almost everything that they were saying the entire time we covered the story last summer. Do they back off with their pushing of the police department there in Washington were to push this investigation any further, or what? Do you know?

FRANKEN: Well, certainly not if the lawyer has anything do with it. Billy Martin, their attorney here, has made it clear that the investigation must continue, and must continue to pursue his suspicions -- his stated suspicions -- that Congressman Condit maybe had more of a role, or at least is somebody who needs to be questioned more closely, and questioned about his unwillingness to cooperate, in Martin's mind, quite a bit.

But right now, by all descriptions, the family is in a deep state of mourning. We expect to hear later in the day from some family representatives, because what happened was they finally found out what happened to their daughter, but it was the worst conclusion that you can possibly imagine for them.

HARRIS: All right, Bob, let me ask you one other question -- this as a sidebar. I'm looking over your shoulder, over your right shoulder. It looks like there's something of an incredible camp there going on. Can you describe that scene for us?

FRANKEN: Well, actually, in the annals of Washington, this is not as large as some of them, as you well know. But this was a story that suddenly exploded back into the news, and the evidence of that is the large collection of news cameras. More often that not, we call that a gaggle of news media, and the gaggle made its way to Rock Creek Park. There is quite a bit of police security around this area. As a matter of fact, as a result, many of the trucks -- the satellite trucks -- were not allowed to come down here. So this is really just the tip of the iceberg. I think I've really tortured that metaphor.

More importantly, just behind those cameras is where the real work is being done. Just behind those cameras is the creek, the area where Chandra Levy was found. That's where the evidence teams are trying to do their job, trying to come up with questions, some answers to the question how did Chandra Levy come to be killed and brought to Rock Creek Park -- if, in fact, she was killed.

HARRIS: All right, but if they are going to let you get that close, are the police going to be keeping you and the rest of the press there at arm's length, or are they going to be very cooperative here? (UNINTELLIGIBLE) some kind of signal on that yet, or what?

FRANKEN: Well, the police who are here now are not the ones that do interviews, that make statements. These are the guys who, in fact, do the investigating, or keep us away from the investigators. The chief of police, the assistant chief of police, the others who have made the statements are not planning to come down here today, to the best of our knowledge. Presumably, any statements that will come will come from police headquarters.

Here, we are observing the investigators, trying to glean whatever tidbits of information we can as they try and glean whatever tidbits of information they can.

HARRIS: All right, good deal. We'll let you get back to your gleaning.

Bob Franken, in Washington. Thank you very much.

Now over to Carol -- who, by the way, did a great job chipping in with coverage from here -- since you covered this story when you were in Washington yourself.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It was something. I think that we're all glad that they finally found something. They finally found Chandra Levy. Maybe that is some comfort to her family.

Bob was alluding to Chandra's parents, who have maintained a very public vigil. And they are now privately cloistered in their grief. A spokeswomen for the family says they are wrestling with -- quote -- "the most horrifying news that any parent could ever get."

CNN national correspondent Frank Buckley is outside the family home with more.

Good morning.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

A terrible time for the Levy family. A spokeswoman did come out once again this morning to tell all of the reporters and photographers who are gathered here in front of their home that the Levys would not be coming out to make a statement today. They did not say anything yesterday. It is not expected they will come out today either.

Friends say that the Levy family had hoped until the very end that their daughter, Chandra, would be found alive. Friends were here yesterday, doing their best to console them when they finally heard the news. Some members of the community also had a show of support last evening in the form of a vigil and a prayer circle.

Meanwhile, the investigation into Chandra's death will continue, and Billy Martin, the Levy family attorney, says there are still questions the family would like to ask Congressman Gary Condit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILLY MARTIN, LEVY FAMILY ATTORNEY: I have said all along that we do not have evidence to accuse Gary Condit -- Congressman Gary Condit -- of Chandra's disappearance and now her death. But we do have reason to believe that he knew a lot more about Chandra -- her state of mind, what was going on in her life on April 30 or May 1. Had he come forward sooner, Larry, the investigation would have been, we think, sped along.

Is he a suspect in our mind? He is a suspect, as is everybody else who may have had contact with Chandra. Nobody is now eliminated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: Condit is expected to be in Modesto today. So far, he has not spoken with reporters, but his office did issue a statement yesterday on behalf of the Condit family, offering condolences to the Levy family -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Any word from the Levys about how they felt about that comment?

BUCKLEY: No, so far they have not. In fact, yesterday, the family spokespersons were saying they had not heard directly from the Condit family, and the condolences that were offered were through the media, and they haven't heard directly, as far as we know, from the Condit family here at the Condit family home.

COSTELLO: All right, Frank Buckley, thank you for that -- live from Modesto, this morning.

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