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CNN Live At Daybreak

Memorial Service will be Held Today for Chandra Levy

Aired May 28, 2002 - 06:33   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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A memorial service will be held today for Chandra Levy. A passerby found Levy's remains in Washington's Rock Creek Park on Wednesday, 13 months after she disappeared.

Our Eric Horng joins us live from Levy's hometown of Modesto, California, where a memorial service is being planned.

Good morning.

ERIC HORNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning.

That memorial service set to take place here at the Modesto Center Plaza, the largest indoor venue in the city. Some 1,500 chairs have been set up for this service, and organizers say they are prepared in case there is an overflow crowd, an indication of just how much Chandra Levy is missed in this community.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HORNG (voice-over): In the town where Chandra Levy grew up, a day of tearful remembrance, a final chance to say goodbye to a young woman whose death made headlines, but whose life told a richer story.

Friend, Mike Vandenbausch (ph), worked with Chandra at the "Modesto Bee" newspaper.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was million-dollar smile that she had, and whenever she smiled, it's like she lit up the room. And you could also hear her giggle and her laugh all the way across the newsroom.

HORNG: For the first time since their worst fears were realized, Robert and Susan Levy are expected to leave the quiet seclusion of their Modesto home, to mourn publicly with friends, family and others, who have helped them through the past year.

Meantime, D.C. police continue to probe the former Washington intern's mysterious death. Investigators exploring whether the case can be linked to a 22-year-old man, currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for two assaults in Rock Creek Park, where Levy's remains were discovered last week.

An attorney for Congressman Gary Condit says the evidence collected by police will likely eliminate his client as a potential suspect.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the police have come out and said publicly that they are comfortable with the timeline involving Gary, and given where the remains were found and everything else, I don't think that in any way, shape or form that Gary is a suspect in this case.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HORNG: Right now, the case is being characterized as a death investigation, but it could be changed to a homicide investigation after the D.C. medical examiner rules on a cause of death. That report could come out as early as today.

In Modesto, California, I am Eric Horng reporting live.

Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: Eric, has the Levy family commented at all on how the D.C. police are handling this investigation? And I guess I want to point specifically to the failure of D.C. police to find the body earlier.

HORNG: Well, certainly at this point in the last week, the Levy family has been in quiet seclusion. They have not released any statement personally to the media. They have remained in their Modesto home.

They have released some statements through their spokesperson, through their attorney, but nothing at this point critical of D.C. police as to why, you know, it took a year to find those remains. They, of course, say D.C. police, had searched Rock Creek Park on a number of occasions in the last year and did not turn up those remains, and of course, the news last week. But at this point, no comment from the Levy family regarding how the D.C. police handled this case.

COSTELLO: How many people do you think will show up at the memorial service?

HORNG: Well, as we said, some 1,500 chairs have been set up here at the largest indoor venue in this city, and organizers say they are prepared in case there is an overflow crowd. We are expecting hundreds of people, a lot of people in this community, friends, family, community members, many people who didn't even know Chandra Levy expected to attend this ceremony.

COSTELLO: Yes, she has become quite famous through all of this -- sad story.

Thank you, Eric Horng reporting live for us from Modesto, California this morning.

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