Missing Intern Search Intensifies
W A S H I N G T O N, May 18, 2001 -- Police were planning to return to the apartment of a missing intern in search of elusive clues as a new detail suggested she may have been dating someone tied to Congress.
Chandra Levy, a 24-year-old University of Southern California graduate student who had finished an internship at the federal Bureau of Prisons, vanished two weeks ago — just before she was to return home for graduation.
She was last seen canceling her membership at a city health club. At her apartment in Washington's trendy Dupont Circle neighborhood, detectives found neatly packed luggage and few clues. Nothing of value appeared to be missing. There were no signs of a struggle.
Mystery Man
But her hometown newspaper, the Modesto (Calif.) Bee, reported Levy mentioned a boyfriend in an e-mail to a friend last Dec. 23.
"Everything else here in DC is going good," she wrote, according to the Bee. "My man will be coming back here when Congress starts up again, I'm looking forward to seeing him."
The Washington Post this morning quoted a senior police official as saying Levy had visited the apartment of her congressman, Rep. Gary Condit, "more than a couple of times." But Police Chief Charles Ramsey today took the unusual step of retracting that statement. The quoted official, Ramsey said, was misinterpreted.
"He was confirming that the department was aware of this unsubstantiated rumor as it is aware of numerous other unsubstantiated rumors surrounding this investigation," Ramsey said in a prepared statement released by police. "At this time, there is no concrete evidence to confirm these various rumors."
ABCNEWS.com visited several of Condit's neighbors today and none of the tenants recalled seeing Levy around the neighborhood or in the four-story apartment building. Each of the tenants, however, recalled being contacted by a homicide detective who canvassed the building with pictures of the missing woman.
Police have questioned Condit, D-Calif., and members of his staff, but downplayed the interviews.
"You have to understand that we're interviewing everyone or anyone who may have known her or known about her whereabouts just to simply try to get a lead on where she may be," a police spokesman said. "This is a missing persons investigation. Just simply an investigation to find out where she is."
Condit has tried to tamp down speculation, dropping out of the public eye after calling Levy a "good friend" earlier this week.
"This is all about Chandra Levy," Condit said in a statement released by his office on Thursday. "All of us should focus our efforts on getting her home ... It is not appropriate for any of us to make any further public comments about the facts of this case or to speculate about a matter that is under police investigation."
She was well-known in his office, having visited several times in search of tickets to Washington attractions.
Congressman, Senators Help in Search
Condit's staff has helped distribute posters that tout a reward for information leading to her safe return. The congressman himself put up $10,000 of the reward. He also asked the FBI to help police solve the mystery.
Levy's desperate parents, who contacted Condit for help not long after they first realized their daughter was missing, are working to keep the case in the spotlight. They met Thursday with Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, both California Democrats. Feinstein added another $5,000 to the reward fund, raising it to $30,000.
Though police have not determined anything criminal took place, they have employed specially trained dogs to look for a body in parks and along river banks. They also are seeking a search warrant to ensure that anything turned up in their next trip to Levy's apartment can be used in court, if it comes to that.