A yearlong mystery that captivated the nation’s capital and ended the political career of Rep. Gary Condit took a new turn Wednesday when authorities identified the skeletal remains of missing intern Chandra Levy.
On a remote hill of a heavily wooded park, a man walking his dog early Wednesday discovered a skull, human bones and deteriorating pieces of women’s exercise clothing. Police said dental records confirmed the identity of Levy, a 24-year-old Californian last seen May 1, 2001.
“Now that we know her death is a reality, we have to investigate the circumstances,” said Washington Police Chief Charles Ramsey, standing near the thick foliage that may hold clues to the case. “The manner and cause of death are still pending. There is certainly still more work to be done.”
The case is considered a death investigation, authorities said, but until officials determine how she died, it is not a criminal matter.
In a nation where 840,279 people were reported missing last year, according to the FBI, Levy’s disappearance drew a disproportionate amount of attention. The story reverberated through Washington and across the country to California, where Condit, her hometown congressman, lost his bid for re-election in March after months of speculation about his relationship with the missing intern.
Condit, a Democrat from Modesto, who spent Wednesday secluded on Capitol Hill, issued a statement through his attorney after police confirmed Levy’s identification. Police say Condit is not a suspect, but after he acknowledged a romantic link with Levy, her disappearance became the theme of his re-election bid that ended in the first loss of his 30-year political career.
“Congressman Gary Condit and his family want to express their heartfelt sorrow and condolences to the Levy family,” the statement said. “The Levy family will remain in our prayers.”
Washington is a town that feeds on political gossip, and although the Levy story had the usual elements of politics and conjecture about impropriety, the tragic twist that a young woman with a life full of promise might be dead cast a pall over the city last summer until the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks took the spotlight away.
“The Levy family has been angry for the past year. Now the family’s worst fears have become a reality,” said Billy Martin, a lawyer for the Levys. “Although the discovery of Chandra’s body closes one chapter and brings some resolution to this ordeal, it does not solve the mystery of what happened to Chandra.”
The grisly discovery raises new questions and produces new leads in an investigation that has languished for months. But police said Wednesday that they have no idea how, where or why the intern for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons died.
On the western edge of Rock Creek Park, a 1,700-acre urban retreat that winds through Washington, police said a man stumbled across the remains as his dog sniffed for turtles beneath a heavy cover of brush. The discovery of the skull soon led authorities to other bones, clothing and personal effects that belonged to Levy.
“He was in an area where most people wouldn’t travel,” Ramsey said. “A dog discovered something. Upon closer inspection, he began to pull away some of the leaves and searched around and found what turned out to be the skull.”
In the months after Levy’s disappearance, scores of investigators combed remote areas of Rock Creek Park to no avail. Authorities said they are not certain whether Levy’s body was overlooked during earlier searches or whether it had been placed there after the searches.
The body was discovered about a mile and a half from the Klingle Mansion, an 1823 landmark. A jogging bra, tennis shoes, a Walkman personal stereo and other items were found nearby.
Authorities have said Levy had searched on her home computer for information about the mansion and Rock Creek Park in the days before her disappearance. She was last seen alive on April 30, 2001, police said, but she sent e-mail from her computer on May 1, days before she was planning to move to her parents’ California home in Modesto.
Her internship at the Bureau of Prisons ended in late April, and she began making plans to return home for her graduation ceremony at the University of Southern California.
By May 5, when her parents had not heard from her, they called police. They also telephoned Condit to ask his help.
In the months before she disappeared, Levy confided to an aunt that she was having an affair with a married congressman. Condit, 54, was repeatedly questioned by police, and in a third interview he reportedly told authorities he’d had an affair with Levy.
Levy’s parents, who became notable figures themselves in their quest to keep their daughter’s case at the top of the nation’s conscience, remained secluded in their California home Wednesday. But they vowed not to let the case end.
“We believe this death investigation will turn into a homicide,” said Martin, the family lawyer. “We will continue, along with the police, our investigation to find the person or persons who did this to Chandra.”
