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American Morning
Solving the Mystery of Chandra Levy
Aired July 17, 2001 - 10:20 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We update the search for Chandra Levy right now.
I want to show you some pictures that we got in here to CNN just a little bit ago from Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C. as the search does go on for Chandra Levy. Police zeroing in on an area where they found some running shoes and some other items. Of course, at this point it is way too early to see if these have anything to do with the Chandra Levy investigation. But police doing everything they can because there are so few clues about what happened to Chandra Levy.
Our next guest has extensive experience with this type of case. Candice Delong is a former FBI profiler and the author of the book, "Special Agent." She's joining us now to talk about what authorities might be thinking as they move forward with their investigation. Candice, good morning. Thanks for joining us.
CANDICE DELONG, RETIRED FBI AGENT: Good morning.
KAGAN: Usually when we think about profiling, we think about profiling the person who would be the criminal, but you say you can also profile people who might be the victim in trying to figure out what happened to them.
DELONG: Well, actually, what is done in cases like this is what's called a victimology in which the police and agents and investigators working the case learn everything that they can about the victim, their lifestyle, their habits, their associates and things like that. You might call it a profile.
KAGAN: Well, from what you've been able to follow in news coverage, what are some red flags or some things that you've learned about Chandra that you think would help in this investigation?
DELONG: Well, I think one of the most telling things in this investigation is also one of the most obvious in that this woman left her home, left her purse and her wallet at home, which is a clear cut indicator that the person intended on returning. Also, this is a young woman. She apparently was involved with, in a relationship with a married man. That certainly was stressful. It's my indication there were a number of phone calls on her part to try to reach him...
KAGAN: But just to be clear, just because that was happening doesn't necessarily make that person, the married man, a suspect in this case. It just, it tells something more about the person we're trying to find.
DELONG: Right. Absolutely. And that she was involved, that she was involved with a married man and apparently trying to reach him, couldn't find him. That certainly would be stressful. And she's very young, lacking the skills and the wherewithal to handle certain situations.
KAGAN: Young and yet, I mean 24 years old, had already lived away from home, about to get her graduate degree. This is not an inexperienced young woman.
DELONG: No. No, but not a terribly mature one either. It's, of course we don't know yet what happened to her and hopefully time will tell.
KAGAN: One thing that people like you, agents like you go off of already existing statistics of what you know has happened in past cases. I thought this was interesting when you break it down of women who have been attacked, who their attackers have been. If you could share, 29 percent being an adult male lover or husband, 40 percent acquaintances and 30 percent meeting up with some kind of stranger.
DELONG: Yes, I mean it's upwards of 67 percent the time a woman, an adult woman in this country is murdered, she's murdered by someone with whom she was either intimate in the past, a former lover, boyfriend, husband, or someone, an acquaintance that she knew and that's...
KAGAN: Through some kind of association, maybe not necessarily even well. I know the police have looked into different people who might have lived nearby, people who have been at the gym with her.
DELONG: That's right. It could have been, sometimes a deliveryman or worker in a woman's home goes back after the job is done to sometimes under a guise, knocks on the door, gee, I left a screwdriver here and then she recognizes him so she lets him in and the next thing she knows she's under attack.
KAGAN: Candice Delong, thank you for helping us get some insight into how investigators try to figure out what, indeed, did happen to Chandra Levy. Appreciate your time.
DELONG: You're welcome.
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