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American Morning

Body of Chandra Levy Found Just Over Year After She Disappeared

Aired May 23, 2002 - 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Up front this morning, the body of Chandra Levy is found just over a year after she disappeared. Police have confirmed that skeletal remains discovered yesterday in a Washington, D.C. park were those of the missing intern.

For the latest on the investigation's tragic turn, we turn to Washington's Rock Creek Park, which is where we find Bob Franken standing by. Bob, I just wanted to warn you, we may have to interrupt your report to go to the president who will be making a short statement from Berlin, but we'll let you get started here until that happens -- good morning.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, and of course, you'll let me know. And so much of our time was spent yesterday as we watched police become more and more sure that in fact after more than a year, they had found the remains of Chandra Levy.

Chandra Levy more than a year ago disappeared. She was the 24- year-old former intern whose family caused the situation to become such a national and international story. It was a story that was fueled mainly by her relationship with Congressman Gary Condit. Their relationship, the romantic relationship with the congressman admitted, according to law enforcement authorities, when he got involved in interviews with investigators.

Police began to do their final search for Chandra Levy, that is to say to get the identity after she had been discovered just behind me about 9:30 in the morning yesterday. By 6:00 in the evening, the police chief had the sad news that this was Chandra Levy, and now it was time to begin a new phase of this investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF CHARLES RAMSEY, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE: It's going to really take a forensic pathologist to really tell us exactly the manner and cause of death. We did get the skeletal remains. They were able to confirm it was Chandra Levy through dental records, but now a lot of work still has to be done to determine exactly what happened to her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: Now, investigators have told us that the first look at the remains provided no clues to what happened to Chandra Levy, not surprising since this was a situation that had been going on for about a year. The remains could have been here at least that long. There are many questions that of course could be answered once they are able to take a closer look, and investigators say that this find has the potential to solve the mystery of how it came that Chandra Levy was found dead here in the park.

ZAHN: Bob, I wanted to take...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If there is obvious trauma to the skeletal remains that are consistent with her being killed in one manner...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: Now, Chandra Levy, of course, was connected with Congressman Gary Condit. Police have said over and over again that he is not to be regarded as the suspect, but he has certainly a key. And police have complained, Paula, they have complained repeatedly that Condit was not forthcoming with them. That in fact some people complained that he impeded the investigation -- Paula.

ZAHN: So they continue to say he is not a suspect, and yet no one will clear his name, right?

FRANKEN: Not at this time. Police quite frankly were a little bit irritated with the fact that he was not somebody who was very aggressive in trying to help them out. He has been before a grand jury. The grand jury is investigating many facets of this case, not just whether he had any involvement in the disappearance. There has been no indication that police believe that, but some questions about whether he illegally impeded the investigation. That's what the grand jury is looking at also.

Gary Condit at his office put out a statement last night expressing condolences to Chandra Levy's family, but the police are going to continue to want to find out anything that he might be able to tell them about this disappearance and the death of Chandra Levy.

ZAHN: Bob, there seems to be a lot of finger pointing going on now. Gary Condit's attorney last night pretty much blasted the D.C. police for having searched this area, and he claims, how can you have searched this area thoroughly when it's basically on an exact path from Chandra Levy's apartment to the Klingle Mansion, which is where I guess in the search of her computer found out that was the last site she had logged onto.

What have you heard about just how close they got to this area? And describe the area where the body was ultimately found, how you can explain maybe how it wasn't found the first time around.

FRANKEN: Well, I don't want to step on Chief Ramsey, who you are going to be interviewing in just a moment. But they point out that this is a very heavily wooded area, that her body was found under a lot of leaves, that type of thing, that it was only found by accident when a man, who was out looking for turtles with his dog, accidentally came on this area, which is literally off the beaten track. The dog smelled something, and then they found the skeletal remains and called police, which was quite an accident, quite a coincidence.

Police had always said that it might take something like this to find the body. But of course, on the other hand, this is an area that was searched very thoroughly, you will remember last year, by all the police cadets who fanned out. And they didn't find anything. And that of course, has brought on the question: How come?

ZAHN: Of course, there are investigators making the point this morning, Bob, that it's not 100 percent certainty the body has been there all along. What is the likelihood perhaps that the body was moved to that point after this thorough two-week search took place in the Rock Creek Park?

FRANKEN: That is another possibility. The chief says that that is something else that can be discussed, although preliminary indications gave no indication that that was the case. But right now, just about everything is on the table, according to investigators.

ZAHN: All right. Bob Franken, thanks so much for that update -- appreciate it.

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