Alleged Disappeared Girlfriend of Congressman Gary Condit

Chandra Levy | Biography

Journalism Student Studying Masters in Public Administration

• By Anil Pradhan
• Update : March 31, 2022

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Chandra Levy was a government agency intern who disappeared in May 2001. Her dead body remains were found one year after her disappearance.

Who is Chandra Levy?

Chandra Levy was a Master's Degree student at the University of Southern California. She mysteriously disappeared during her internship at the Federal Beaurea of Prisons in Washington, DC, in May 2001. A year later, i.e., in May 2002, her skeletal remains were discovered in an urban park named Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC.

Levy was a Cleveland, Ohio native-born to her parents, Susan Levy and Bob Levy, on 14 April 1977. She was 24 years old when she disappeared from Washington.

Levy Moved To California At A Young Age

Although born in Ohio, Levy had relocated with her parents and her younger brother Adam to Modesto, California, at a young age.

In pursuit of a Master's Degree, Levy joined the University of Southern California and began studying Public Administration. However, during her last semester at the university, she moved to Washington, DC. There, she was hired as a paid intern to handle the public affairs of the Federal Beaurea of Prisons.

Levy Was Last Seen on 1 May 2001

According to USA Today, Levy completed her internship at the Federal Beaurea of Prisons and spent her last day there on 23 April 2001. She then planned to move back to California for her graduation ceremony. She had also informed her landlord in Washington about her plan via email. She wrote, "I am moving back to California for my graduation during the week of 8 May and I am moving back there for good."

It was the last time the landlord heard from her. Later on 29 April, she talked with her alleged boyfriend, Gary Condit, over the telephone. The same day, she also sent a message to her aunt talking about good news. It was also the last time both her aunt and Gary Condit spoke to her.

On the evening of 30 April 2001, Levy went to Washington Sports Club Gym in Connecticut Avenue to retract her membership. The following day, i.e., on 1 May, she informed her parents about traveling to California via email. However, she did not tell them about the time and mode she was using to travel. It was the last message Levy's parents had received from her.

After that, there were no reports of her contact with anyone. Finally, her parents filed their daughter's missing complaint to the Washington Police on 5 May 2001, after she did not answer her answering machine for three days.

Levy's Skeletal Remains Were Discovered After A Year Of Her Disappearance

After Levy's missing report from her parents, The MPDC (Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Colombia) immediately began searching for her. They called hospitals inquiring about her and also searched her apartment. But, unfortunately, they found no trace of her.

Later, on 7 May 2001, Levy's father, Bob, informed the police about her alleged affair with the former US congressman, Gary Condit. Later again, when police did a proper search of Levy's apartment, they found two messages on the answering machine that were from Gary Condit. However, Condit denied having an affair with her and said that their relationship was limited to being friends. Therefore, the police also did not list him as the suspect.

The police moved on with their search operation and found that Levy had browsed the map of Rock Creek Park on her laptop on 1 May 2021, i.e., the day of her disappearance. D.C. police conducted several search operations but failed to find any evidence that could link to her.

Later, after a year, i.e., on 22 May 2022, a civilian walking his dog in the same park discovered her skeletal remains. The remains matched Levy's dental records, which confirmed it was her.

Chandra Levy Joyce Chaing

Joyce Chaing was a government employee working as an attorney at the International News Service (INS). Like Levy, she was also initially missing and was later found dead. She was last seen alive on 9 January 1999. Although the authorities believed Chaing had committed suicide, her family refused to accept it.

Chandra Levy and Joyce Chaing are not related to each other by any means. They have been declared dead now, and the most striking thing about their death was the similarity in their cases.

Both the women worked at the same government firm and were residents of the same neighborhood. They both shared similar physical attributes and also had the same hangout place. Moreover, they were both young and attractive. Despite all these similarities, authorities could not link the cases to each other. They declared it to be a mere coincident.

Cause Of Death

After years of investigations, the police finally found some evidence in 2009 linking Ingmar Guandique to the murder of Chandra Levy. Reportedly, Guandique confessed to killing Levy and robbing her with one of the inmate informants. He was an El Salvador native and was illegally living in the USA. During the confession, he was already in prison, serving time for attacking several other women at the same Rock Creek Park.

Guandique was convicted for Levy's murder and was sentenced to 60 years imprisonment in 2010. However, after around six years, i.e., in July 2016, Levy's murder charges were dropped. The federal prosecutors on the case said that they came across some developments which prove Guandique's innocence. 

Therefore, as of 2022, the authorities have not declared Levy's actual cause of death and other factors leading to her disappearance.  

Also Read About - Christina Bobb - Age, Career, Education, & Bio

Chandra Levy Gary Condit

Although Gary Condit, Levy's alleged boyfriend, was never a suspect in the case, Levy's parents denied believing so. Instead, they reinstated the statement that he had an affair with their daughter.

After almost three months of Levy's disappearance, Condit went through a polygraph test for the sake of the case. It was administered by one of the former FBI agents. According to his attorney, he passed the test and thus again proved his innocence.

However, Condit remained in the media limelight for a long time following the case. As a result, he also had to withdraw from his political career as a congressman.

In August 2017, a TV documentary based on Chandra Levy was released. It featured everyone related to her, including Condit. He also spoke in the documentary about Levy but again did not give out any details of his relationship with her. He said,

"Well, Connie, I've been married for 34 years, and uh, I've not been a... a perfect man, and I've made my share of mistakes. But um, out of respect for my family, and out of a specific request from the Levy family, I think it's best that I not get into those details uh, about Chandra Levy."