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American Morning
Chandra Levy's Parents Discuss Year Since Disappearance
Aired May 01, 2002 - 08:27 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, on to the Levy story. It has been a year now since Chandra Levy vanished in Washington without a trace. And he disappearance spawned an investigation that continues today and a scandal that forced a congressman out of office.
For her parents, Robert and Susan Levy, the past year has been one of both heartache and hope. There are few leads in the case. Some are calling it a cold case. But they still hope that some day she will still be found alive. And tonight they plan to hold a candlelight vigil outside her Washington apartment.
And they both join us now today from our New York studios.
Good to see you again.
Thank you.
ZAHN: And I very much apologize that you had to sit through 20 minutes worth of breaking news there.
SUSAN LEVY, CHANDRA LEVY'S MOTHER: That's OK.
ZAHN: Tell me a little bit about what you're going to reflect on tonight during this candlelight vigil in front Chandra Levy's, your daughter's apartment building where she once lived in D.C.
S. LEVY: We're going to be doing a vigil both in Modesto, California on the West Coast as well as here on the East Coast in Washington. And we reflect not just for my daughter, to return my daughter here home to us, hoping that someone would give out information that would help in some way finding her, but at the same time to reflect the plight for all missing people and hope that anyone who has someone missing, a loved one, that someone out there who knows about any of our missing children or adults, come forward, help us, help all the families find their loved ones. Give answers.
And so, and that's what my sense, our sense for this vigil tonight is, not to forget my daughter or anyone else.
ZAHN: Dr. Levy, how hard is it to maintain that hope when investigator after investigator has told you that there are no leads, that this is a cold case?
R. LEVY: Yes, unfortunately it's been like that for a long time now. But they still have leads that they're working on and hopefully will be fruitful. And it looks bad after all this time. But even after one day of someone being missing, you know, they could be gone. But people have come back, have been found alive even months, years later. So we just keep our prayer that she's alive somewhere out there.
ZAHN: What is your daily life like as you go through this long wait, this long struggle. When the phone rings what goes through your mind?
S. LEVY: It depends on the time of day and, of course, who's calling. I find that every day when we get up in the morning, early in the morning is like the start of a new nightmare.
R. LEVY: Yes.
S. LEVY: Not having our daughter with us, worrying about where she is, what has happened to her. We feel emptiness, pain in our stomach. It doesn't go away. Generalized anxiety. Depression. But also we also find at times we have faith and hope, hope that she can return, because we don't know otherwise. We haven't heard anything else. And hope that somebody will be courageous enough to help the answers, to find her, to come out and say what they know.
ZAHN: Those that, of us that had the opportunity to talk with you before and watched you see the obvious closeness of your relationship. How have you leaned on each other? Are there periods of time when you've all but given up hope and you have to lean on Susan and say no, no, don't give up?
R. LEVY: Well, a lot of times it's hard to tolerate. I just can't stand it. And I break down and cry and, you know, I'm usually by myself. But we've both had periods of time like that, or sometimes even together when we've leaned on each other. And our son has been a great help to us and other relatives, and especially our friends in Modesto and friends from back east, from Columbus, Ohio and from Maryland and Virginia have been, our relatives and friends have really been supportive.
ZAHN: And you've also enjoyed the support of this group that also is looking for missing children around the country...
R. LEVY: Yes.
ZAHN: ... that you've been able to lean on.
R. LEVY: The Carole Sund Foundation have been wonderful. They've really helped us get through this.
ZAHN: Let's talk about your son Adam, because you just mentioned him, and I wanted to put up on the screen something that he told "People" magazine, because he hasn't done a lot of interviews and when talking about his sister he said, "I know she is alive. I don't feel a loss." And then he went on to say, "If she were to walk in this room right now, I would ask her, what the heck were you doing going off like that?" S. LEVY: I can hear him say that, too.
R. LEVY: Yes.
ZAHN: How conflicted is he...
S. LEVY: He's not.
ZAHN: ... as he tries to -- he's not conflicted at all? So he's always had the hope? He's never, never had that shattered...
R. LEVY: Yes.
S. LEVY: That's right.
ZAHN: ... at all during the past year?
S. LEVY: At all.
R. LEVY: No. I mean sometimes when he sees us crying or, you know, really upset and -- well, he supports us. He can feel, he's broken down a couple of times, but mostly he's been strong for us.
ZAHN: Yesterday John Walsh of "America's Most Wanted" was a guest on AMERICAN MORNING and he is convinced that your daughter was hurt by perhaps a serial killer in the Dupont Circle area. Let's revisit what he had to say yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN WALSH, HOST, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": Christine Mirzayan, a former Capitol Hill intern who looked very much like Chandra Levy, went missing on her way home from a barbecue and her battered body was found in a canal in Georgetown, very close to Dupont Circle. Joyce Chiang, an INS lawyer, about 27 years old, again, looked very much like Chandra Levy, slim build, dark hair, as a matter of fact, lived very close to Chandra Levy, her body was found 80 miles down in the Potomac River after she had been missing for three years.
I think that those unsolved homicides are related and I think that there's a serial predator at large. He may not still be in the Dupont area, but I think that that person had something to do with Chandra Levy's disappearance because those two homicides are still unsolved.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: I know you know John Walsh.
R. LEVY: Yes.
ZAHN: You've spent some time with him, as well. What do you think of his theory that this might be what happened to your daughter?
R. LEVY: Well, it could be, but we have reason to think that it isn't. We just... S. LEVY: They said they found someone that looks like her?
R. LEVY: No, no, no, no, no. This was...
(CROSSTALK)
ZAHN: This was one of the previous victims in Dupont Circle.
S. LEVY: Oh, OK.
R. LEVY: This was years ago. It's just, I can't say it really fits that.
S. LEVY: A lot of theories out there, many theories and only one truth.
R. LEVY: Yes.
S. LEVY: And until you have a body and until you know evidence, you don't know anything. And that's why I pray and hope for a miracle. Miracles do happen sometimes. A miracle that someone is going to have goodness in their heart and kindness to help us to bring her back, we hope alive, then let her tell the story.
R. LEVY: Yes.
ZAHN: And I know, Doctor, you just said you have reason to believe that this theory that John Walsh put forward may not be true. Can you share some of that with us this morning, why you doubt that might be the case?
R. LEVY: Well, it's just the police and our investigators and some other people really don't buy into that. I mean it's certainly possible and he, John Walsh has, you know, been with a lot of cases. But we just don't accept this.
ZAHN: Let's talk about Gary Condit for a moment. When is the last time your family had any contact with anybody from his family?
S. LEVY: The beginning of his election. We did...
ROBERT LEVY: His renomination campaign. That was several months ago when his son Chad called on behalf of his father to try to find out what was going on and also to, you know, see if he could mend fences. But...
S. LEVY: Between the families.
R. LEVY: Yes, but we really didn't want to talk with him at that time, or we said we would talk with him only with our lawyer present.
ZAHN: What do you think the point of the call was?
R. LEVY: Well, I think it was political mainly.
S. LEVY: Yes, definitely. R. LEVY: Just to show that he's a good guy and he's been helpful and supportive in getting all the answers. But that's not really been the case.
ZAHN: To this day, do you still believe Gary Condit had something to do with your daughter's disappearance?
S. LEVY: As a mother, yes, I do. It's an intuitive feeling and it's based on communication that I've had so far with him and just knowing.
R. LEVY: Yes, and just knowing his past history...
S. LEVY: Just knowing.
R. LEVY: ... and knowing, you know, what our investigators feel.
ZAHN: And you're most critical of the fact that you don't think he was ever honest with the investigators at the beginning of the search for Chandra?
R. LEVY: Right.
S. LEVY: Yes, that's correct.
R. LEVY: He really was evasive, just like the chief of police said. He was evasive.
S. LEVY: Yes.
R. LEVY: He just really didn't come forward with all the facts and you know, it just didn't help. It might have made a difference early on, but we don't know if he's able to come clean, you know? It's possible he can't.
ZAHN: Well, I know this has been a horrible year to endure and I apologize again for getting to you a half hour late as you watched us cover all this breaking news. Good luck tonight.
S. LEVY: We would like to give this to you...
ZAHN: Oh, thank you. This is...
S. LEVY: When you wear that...
ZAHN: I'll put that on right now.
S. LEVY: Because, and when you wear it and anyone sees it, "Where Is Chandra?," I hope everyone else will think also where are all the other people that seem to go missing in our country. Our pain, we know what everybody is feeling. It's hard. And I want attention be given not only for our daughter, but for all missing people, young and old. There are many families out there who have not been able to speak.
Thank you again for helping us. ZAHN: Mrs. Levy, thank you for your time.
R. LEVY: Thank you.
ZAHN: Dr. Levy, good luck to you. You're back to work?
R. LEVY: Yes.
ZAHN: And I guess that must be a bit of an escape for you.
R. LEVY: It is.
ZAHN: All right, continued good luck.
S. LEVY: OK.
ZAHN: We'll be watching the vigil tonight alongside of you.
R. LEVY: Thank you very much.
S. LEVY: Thank you.
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