How many unsolved investigations about a missing and presumed murdered congressional intern manage to escape the eyes of the media for more than a decade? That is one of the questions that The Learning Channel’s Chandra Levy: An American Murder Mystery tries to answer. The show aired September 4th, and it works with the investigator who believes the show is the last chance for any hidden evidence to surface with the hope of solving the mystery.
The true storyline is that Chandra Levy was a congressional intern of former U.S. Representative Gary Condit. She was 24, he was 52, at the time of her disappearance. It took one year for the remains of her body to be found, but not dumped, in a remote area of the woods of Rock Creek Park. The prevailing theory was she went to the out of the way location to meet someone.
As for Condit, he was accused by Levy’s parents of having an ongoing relationship with her. When police questioned him in 2001 about the murder he was seen by investigators as being less than “forthcoming.” The story got tons of media attention in 2001, then faded into obscurity quickly. But not in California, where Condit lost his House seat as a result of the scandal and denying he had a relationship with the intern.
The first question is, “How many congressional interns go missing every year?” Chandra Levy’s remains were found in an area that is a 30 minute drive from Capitol Hill, where most interns work. Rock Creek Park is a popular location for joggers, but she was found off the trail in a spot few people give any attention.
Now if Levy’s disappearance was just one of those things, consider the fact that Condit was a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee, one arm of the government that … umm … conducts investigations. That power is a double edged sword as it can be used to heighten the intensity of an investigation – or smother any flames. The obvious reality that he had considerable investigative power should have warranted special concern given Levy’s position.
Chandra Levy’s parents hired a private investigator to look into the case once the police had ended their investigation. Why did the police end their investigation? Eight years later, in 2009, an El Salvadorian illegal immigrant, Ingmar Guandique, was arrested and charged with her murder. He was tried and sentenced to 60 years in prison. But in 2015 he was granted a new trial, and prosecutors decided not to pursue a second trial but instead had him deported. The police had done their job, and it seems as far as they were concerned — case closed.
TLC chose to air the investigative program in helping her parents finally bring closure to the circumstances that led to their daughter’s death. She was found tied up, left to die of exposure and dehydration in that park. She didn’t tie herself up. Condit is now 69. This is an investigation that the government likely hopes will simply go away over time.
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