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American Morning

The Search for Chandra: Has the Trail Gone Cold?

Aired July 11, 2001 - 11:34   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: Washington police today are going through the items taken from the home of Congressman Gary Condit of California.

Police declined to call the California Democrat a suspect in the disappearance of Chandra Levy. He left his apartment this morning, presumably heading for the capitol, but he was home last night, and well into this morning, as police collected potential evidence from his apartment. They were looking for such forensic telltale signs as blood, body fluids and hair. They hauled away several boxes of items from the apartment.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: To get more insight into the search, let's bring in Sari Kolatch. She is a former prosecutor who has prosecuted more than 50 murder cases in Brooklyn and can maybe give us more insight as to what police may be looking for.

Sari, good morning. Thanks for joining us today.

SARI KOLATCH, FORMER BROOKLYN PROSECUTOR: Good morning.

KAGAN: First of all, what about the time frame here? Chandra Levy's been missing for about two months now. Would you be concerned with the amount of time that passed before the search has taken place?

KOLATCH: Certainly, if there was any evidence in that apartment that was related to foul play or anything that would suggest that the congressman knows where Chandra Levy is, there's been more than enough time for that evidence to have been destroyed or taken away. Fortunately, however, there are very sophisticated forensic tools these days where evidence that generally is not maybe visible to the naked eye can still be detected. So that someone may think they've cleaned something up or that there's no evidence that's visible, yet the police or investigators can find it anyway.

KAGAN: Yes ,how do those tools work?

KOLATCH: Well, there's various types of tools. Some of them chemical, so that they can put chemicals in an area to determine if the presence of blood or fluids, Others are equipment with lights that would illuminate an area that had blood stains on it, that is no longer visible to the naked eye. So there's various sophisticated tools that can be used. KAGAN: But another different twist on this case, besides the fact of the amount of time that has lapsed is the situation - this still isn't a crime. This is still a missing persons' case.

KOLATCH: Absolutely.

KAGAN: And the police were invited into the congressman's apartment.. They didn't need a search warrant. They didn't need it because they were invited. But because it's not a crime scene, does it make it more difficult or hamper the efforts to actually search, do you think?

KOLATCH: Well, the problem is that even if you take the leap and assume that the congressman was involved, there's certainly nothing to suggest that whatever took place, whatever foul play would have occurred, would have occurred in his apartment. So you don't even know where the crime scene is, if there is a crime scene to begin with. And if there is one, where that crime scene is. So it is -- it's very much like looking for needle in a haystack.

KAGAN: And this is the kind of thing that somebody who would be working at your level as a prosecutor wouldn't even have been brought in yet, because again, we're not talking about a crime yet?

KOLATCH: I would say generally, the district attorney's office doesn't get involved in missing persons cases, but a case of this caliber, I would imagine that prosecutors in the area are involved at this point.

KAGAN: Sari Kolatch, thanks for giving us some insight. Appreciate your expertise this morning. Stephen?

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