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CNN Live At Daybreak

The Search for Chandra: Search or No Search?

Aired August 02, 2001 - 07:01   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.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: First, the latest in the search for Chandra Levy. D.C. police, acting on a tip, said yesterday that a site in Virginia would be searched. But then the FBI said later that the site would not be searched.

We'll get this explained for you in just a moment. But first more about the tip. The tip said that Levy's body was buried beneath a parking lot under construction at Fort Lee near Petersburg, Virginia.

We have several correspondents covering the latest, including Bob Franken in Washington, and that is where we begin.

So, Bob, search or no search?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's really an open question. There is really a bit of debate going on between law enforcement agencies about just how seriously to take this particular tip.

The tip was one that was actually put on the Web site We Tip -- it's a California Web site -- day before yesterday. And the police are being very methodical in the way they are treating it. Police officials here say that the only thing that sets it apart is a couple of the details. There is some information in this, including the fact that it was specified in this tip that Chandra Levy was buried at a parking lot under construction at or near -- it's unclear which -- Fort Lee, Virginia, which is about two hours from Washington.

The fact that there has been some parking lot construction there did catch the attention of investigators on the D.C. Police Department. In a very routine way, they asked the Provost marshal, who in effect is the chief of police at Fort Lee, to investigate. The FBI is in there. All they are saying is they are proceeding very carefully before they take the next step of an actual search. They want to discuss the credibility of this -- some of the other details.

Police caution that even though they get very detailed tips quite often -- scores of them -- most of the time they turn out just to be fiction. But this one they want to check out. They are a little bit horrified actually that this got out into such a public realm, but they say they are going to check it out and decide whether it is worth proceeding further -- Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: OK. CNN's Bob Franken, thanks very much.

Now to Eileen O'Connor, who is in Fort Lee, Virginia -- Eileen.

EILEEN O'CONNOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Colleen, activity here is pretty much as usual. People are arriving to work at the army base behind me going through the guard posts.

The public information officer here issued a statement and said that right now, there is no search planned at this time. But they did stress that Fort Lee, the army, is working and cooperating with the police and the FBI and stands ready to cooperate with any and all necessary steps.

Also the local FBI police field office is, they say, looking into the credibility of that tip. And if they deem it appropriate, they say, the next step will be to take some more investigative steps. They are not specifying what those steps would be -- Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: All right. Eileen, thanks very much for that.

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