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CNN Live Saturday
Police Continue Search for Chandra Levy
Aired July 14, 2001 - 17:01 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.
STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: It has now been 75 days since Chandra Levy disappeared without a trace in Washington. And authorities are intensifying their search for any clues that could lead them to Chandra. With the latest on the case here's CNN congressional correspondent Jonathan Karl.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONATHAN KARL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Police brought the search for Chandra Levy to Washington, D.C.'s Rock Creek Park. The 2,800 acre park is just blocks from the former intern's apartment. Although police have been over some of this ground before, this time they're expanding the search area and vowing to continue as long as it takes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We look at every option -- everything -- until we find something, to see if she's still around or something.
KARL: A police official tells CNN that in the coming week they plan to devote added resources pursuing the theory that Levy was quote "snatched" by somebody in the vast park located near her apartment.
The officer said, quote, "We plan to put a lot more people into Rock Creek Park." D.C. police also continued their search of vacant buildings but again found nothing to give them any clue as to Levy's whereabouts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So far our search proved negative at this point in time.
KARL: The sight of police continuing to search for any sign of Chandra Levy's body is an excruciating one for the Levy family.
SUSAN LEVY, MOTHER OF CHANDRA LEVY: Another day in hell. Another day of waiting for my daughter and yesterday was very difficult to see the searching and empty buildings and places you see the trash.
KARL: Meanwhile, police have not given up on finding Levy alive, pursuing the possibility she may have intentionally disappeared, police released computerized images to show what Levy might look like if she were disguising her appearance.
Police also plan to examine the private polygraph taken by California Democrat Gary Condit. Condit's attorney says the results confirm Condit had nothing to do with Levy's disappearance and knows nothing of her whereabouts. But an attorney for the Levy family says because police were not involved in the test it's not credible.
Jonathan Karl CNN Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRAZIER: While the investigation into Chandra's disappearance moves forward in Washington, the parents of the former intern are awaiting word on any new development from their home in Modesto, California. And that is where we find CNN senior correspondent Martin Savidge now. Marty, hello again.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Stephen. And the Levy family has been particularly quiet on the issue of this lie detector test that came forward yesterday. In fact, the Levys are not even home at this particular time.
They have gone off just for a short while to go to a nearby festival, trying to get out from underneath the magnifying glass of the media that they have been under, and also as you heard Susan Levy say trying to get away from those very haunting images of the Washington, D.C. police searching through abandoned buildings looking for essentially the body of their daughter.
They did say they very much agree with the statement that their attorney Billy Martin has given. In fact, Billy Martin yesterday said that the Levys were very disappointed particularly over how this independent lie detector test was carried out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILLY MARTIN, LEVY FAMILY ATTORNEY: We asked the congressman to cooperate with law enforcement authorities on agreeing to a term that would avoid any questions as to the objectivity of the polygraph. We asked that some time ago, and yesterday it seems that the congressman and his attorneys snuck off to a private polygraph examiner and took a polygraph on his terms.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: Dissatisfaction amongst authorities and then as you hear amongst the Levys on how that lie detector test was conducted. Also growing dissatisfaction back here in the 18th congressional district that Congressman Gary Condit represents.
A new poll that is out in the local newspaper shows that he has continued his decline in popularity here, once being extremely popular, the question that was asked, how many people would support him if he tried again for reelection. And 59 percent of the respondents said no despite the fact that the congressman continues to try to distance himself from the investigation claiming that he had nothing to do with her disappearance.
It Appears that the information that has come forward of a relationship he had with Chandra Levy and other news that has come from his private life is making people very upset at this particular point --Stephen.
SAVIDGE: Martin, that's a dramatic change. When you first arrived in that part of the country, you found he was extremely popular there.
SAVIDGE: That's right. The last election, 67 percent of the voters were in favor of him. People apparently have been disturbed by what they have learned, and in particular, and we've mentioned this before, the continued silence on the part of the congressman himself -- Stephen
FRAZIER: In Modesto, California, Martin Savidge. Marty, thank you.
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