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Cold Case Research Institute to take up Chandra's case
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rd



Joined: 13 Sep 2002
Posts: 9273
Location: Jacksonville, FL

PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 9:20 pm    Post subject: Cold Case Research Institute to take up Chandra's case Reply with quote

Here's an interesting article on Chandra to start the year. Modesto Bee reports that a small Atlanta school, Bauder College, started a Cold Case Investigative Research Institute in 2005. They are investigating Chandra Levy's and Natalee Holloway's cases this year.

They say that in addition to interviewing experts on the cases, they pore over books and articles as well. They'll have lots of articles to pore over. Lots.

Books? For Natalee, there's mainly the book by her dad, Dave Holloway. For Chandra, primarily mine, Murder on a Horse Trail. You can read it here (see Murder on a Horse Trail: The Disappearance of Chandra Levy).

They say that they turn over their work to police or prosecutors. I wish them luck and all the help we can offer them here at justiceforchandra.com. Any publicity on open issues in Chandra's case is a good thing, to be sure.

The most interesting thing I saw in the ModBee article was a quote from Susan Levy, Chandra's mother. She says that the Washington private investigators, whose work was covered by reporters like Allan Lengel and Michael Doyle, said they would get back to her and never did.

I don't know, probably didn't come up with anything much to get back to her on, but still, seems like there was a lot of bad blood in this case from the beginning, so I'm not surprised.

I really can't add anything to what Susan Levy says here:

"It's always good to have a fresh look," said her mother, Susan Levy, adding that "a lot of things still don't make sense."

rd

from www.modbee.com (fair use)



College taking up Levy mystery
Georgia students will sift through evidence for clues in the murder
By EMILIE RAGUSO and MICHAEL DOYLE
BEE WASHINGTON BUREAU
January 01, 2008

Chandra Levy's unsolved murder will now be investigated by criminal justice students at a small Georgia college, reviving a mystery that once captivated a nation and still torments a Modesto family.

The students at Atlanta's Bauder College will spend this year digging into Levy's 2001 disappearance. As part of the college's Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, they will weigh evidence, interview experts and, they hope, find connections missed by police detectives and FBI agents.

(snip)

Starting Jan. 31, McCollum said, some 50 students will pore over articles and books about Levy's case. They will cover a wall with butcher paper, taping up articles, timelines and sticky notes with questions about case elements that don't make sense. Students hope to visit Washington in June, seeing Levy's apartment and visiting the wooded park where her skeleton was found.

(snip)

The students don't get college credit or grades for their cold-case work. At the end of the year, though, McCollum said, they will turn their conclusions over to prosecutors or police.

(snip)

Students meet monthly to share insights from their research and hear from speakers who worked the case or have other expertise. McCollum has considered inviting former Washington, D.C., Police Chief Charles Ramsey to speak. He was chief during the Levy investigation.

She plans to bring in a technology expert to talk about Levy's computer and explain what Web sites she apparently visited before her disappearance might reveal. It's all about exposure to information sources officers regularly mine, she said.

(snip)

Levy's parents, through Washington-based attorney Billy Martin, had their own private investigators looking into the murder.

The private investigators kicked up a bit of a fuss, including the discovery of some bones that had been missed by police, but they, along with Martin, have long since left the case.

"They promised to contact me," Susan Levy said, "but they never have."

Former FBI agent Brad Garrett, the chief federal investigator in the matter, has retired and started his own Northern Virginia investigations firm.

"If I had the money to, I would hire him," Levy said. "I just can't afford it."

(snip)

Susan Levy made a point of flying to Washington about a year ago to meet with Ramsey's replacement, Cathy L. Lanier. There have been more than 1,000 homicides in Washington since Chandra Levy died, and Susan Levy wanted to make sure her daughter wasn't forgotten.

(snip)

Levy said Lanier assured her that much is possible. The department has top-notch investigators. Cold cases are reopened. Last year, Washington, D.C., police solved 70 percent of all homicides.

(snip)

Still, it means about one in three Washington murders remains unsolved. The police department has its own cold case experts, for whom the Bauder College students will serve as voluntary reinforcements.

(snip)

Bee staff writer Emilie Raguso can be reached at eraguso@modbee.com or 578-2235. Bee Washington Bureau reporter Michael Doyle can be reached at mdoyle@mcclatchydc.com or 202-383-0006.

Copyright 2008, The Modesto Bee.
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gozgals



Joined: 28 Jul 2005
Posts: 2892
Location: A Place Called Vertigo

PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2008 12:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Modesto Bee reports that a small Atlanta school, Bauder College, started a Cold Case Investigative Research Institute in 2005. They are investigating Chandra Levy's and Natalee Holloway's cases this year.


Rd, this is great news. I'm sure your book will be very helpful. As far as Dave's book, I have no opinion, (I'm sure it is informative) but I have not read it.

Excellent way to start off a new year.

WTG on this news and the school taking an interest. Fresh eyes can always bring a new prospective.

Goz
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Heiress



Joined: 03 Jan 2008
Posts: 5
Location: Southeast

PostPosted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 9:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm glad this case is back up and running.
As a CJ major with experience in LE, I believe there is lots of fertile ground to cultivate in this young womans death.

Good start to the New Year and great news for the Levy family.
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rd



Joined: 13 Sep 2002
Posts: 9273
Location: Jacksonville, FL

PostPosted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 10:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

welcome, Heiress. I agree, would have loved to have seen some followup to the many questions raised in Murder on a Horse Trail but there's never been a hint that anyone was ever talked to since Chandra was found in May of 2002.

I look forward to the focus that these young cold case students will bring to Chandra's case. And to your thoughts and those of others.

rd
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propria



Joined: 20 Sep 2002
Posts: 630
Location: northern illinois

PostPosted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 5:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

>>> Starting Jan. 31, McCollum said, some 50 students will pore over articles and books about Levy's case. <<<

Do you have any extra copies of your book on hand, rd? It might be well worth the effort to send one to these kids, especially since you have literally done the best job that's ever been accomplished of identifying the known facts in this matter and presenting them within their accurate time-frame relationship to each other. Of course, I thought of you the minute I heard this news, and I'm the first to admit that just having someone pay attention to Chandra's murder qualifies as an answer to my prayers for justice and comfort over the past six and a half years.

I find it interesting that so much emphasis is being placed on the departure from the police scene of quite a few officers and investigators who were active in the initial [non]investigation of Chandra's death. I'm trying to determine whether that is supposed to indicate that these folks have moved on and would be too hard to find, or whether the reporter is suggesting that those folks are now out from under the hand of authority and might be willing to speak more freely than they could when they were investigating the matter. Maybe it's a little of both.

Nanci
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rd



Joined: 13 Sep 2002
Posts: 9273
Location: Jacksonville, FL

PostPosted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 2:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good question, nanci. You're probably right, a little of both.

The good news is that all the students, and everyone interested in Chandra's case, can read Murder on a Horse Trail: The Disappearance of Chandra Levy) right here on www.justiceforchandra.com.

Also, every search on Chandra in any search engine like Google will take you to a chapter in the book, a thread in Background Information on Chandra, or an update thread in Chandra, Laci, and missing women, all on this site.

I expect that with a fresh look they will want to rediscover for themselves what we have summed up in Murder on a Horse Trail, but the deeper they look, the more they will see the tremendous effort put forth by the internet sleuthers on Chandra boards.

I hope they can take it a step farther and give some public focus to Chandra's case again. I'm looking forward to it. And I know we'll do all we can to help.

thanks nanci.

rd
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rd



Joined: 13 Sep 2002
Posts: 9273
Location: Jacksonville, FL

PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Susan Levy will be speaking to the Cold Case Institute researchers from the Criminal Justice programs at Bauder College and I understand also Faulkner University. She is speaking tomorrow in Atlanta.

This is a wonderful opportunity for the researchers as they kickoff the investigation. It will be an emotional meeting, I'm sure.

rd

from www.modbee.com (fair use)

Chandra Levy's mother to speak about case
College students ready to start investigating disappearance
By EMILIE RAGUSO
eraguso@modbee.com
January 30, 2008

The mother of unsolved homicide victim Chandra Levy will talk to criminal justice students in Atlanta on Thursday as they begin a yearlong investigation into Levy's death.

Susan Levy said she'll speak not from a script, but "from the heart" about her daughter.

"It brings it back every time," she said. "It's very painful, especially when we start having the rains. Because you wonder how your child felt, how long they were out in the woods for. It never gets easier. But it may be therapeutic to talk about it."

The students at Atlanta's Bauder College will spend this year digging into Levy's 2001 disappearance. As part of the college's Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, they will weigh evidence, interview experts and, they hope, find connections missed by police detectives and FBI agents.

(snip)

Students this year also will probe the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway, a high school student from Alabama who vanished during a graduation trip in Aruba.

Holloway's mother could not attend the investigation's opening. She provided footage of her daughter and wrote a letter for the event, school officials said.

Institute director Sheryl McCollum, a professor at Bauder who also runs the Cold Case Crime Analysis Squad for the Pine Lake Police Department in Georgia, said visits from the families of crime victims are crucial for students.

"They have to see these victims as real people. There's absolutely no better way to do that than through somebody's mama," she said. "Everybody knows what Natalee Holloway looks like. Everybody remembers Chandra Levy, but not as real people. When a mother is sitting four feet in front of you, students know they're answering to a real person."

Family members also can flesh out the victimology of each case, said McCollum, giving students a better understanding of the victims' lifestyles and how they might have become victims.

(snip)

Susan Levy said Tuesday that she is looking forward to that support.

"It's good to meet with other parents, but you still have the same pain. You just know you're not alone in it," she said.

After the yearlong investigation, students will turn over their conclusions about the cases to prosecutors or police. But, for families of crime victims, the investigation is about more than that recommendation, McCollum said.

"Mothers can come back here. These mothers are connected to these students from now on," McCollum said. "Whether or not this case gets some big resolve, that's not the most important piece. It's that somebody still gives a damn."

Bee staff writer Emilie Raguso can be reached at eraguso@modbee.com or 578-2235.

Copyright © 2008, The Modesto Bee.
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rd



Joined: 13 Sep 2002
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Location: Jacksonville, FL

PostPosted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 1:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a good article on Susan Levy coming to speak to kickoff of the Cold Case Institute investigation into Chandra Levy's and Natalee Holloway's cases.

Said Susan Levy, in a recent address to the students, "Go out there and make a difference."

rd

from www.ajc.com (fair use)

Students to examine Holloway, Levy cases
By KEN SUGIURA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
February 4, 2008

The mother of Natalee Holloway, the Alabama teen who disappeared on Aruba in 2005, sent a letter of thanks. The mother of Chandra Levy, the Washington intern who disappeared in 2001 and was found slain a year later, flew in from California.

The mothers sought to encourage criminal justice students at Bauder College in Midtown in their crusade — to figure out what happened to their daughters.

(snip)

For the next year, students will delve into these unsolved crimes in hope of deepening their knowledge of criminal justice and finding answers for the victims' families. The students participating in the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, a student club with about 80 members, have researched high-profile cases since 2005.

"For me, it's like a puzzle, putting pieces together," said Naomi Barkley-Chandler, a student. "In the end, you bring closure to the family."

The club was the idea of Sheryl McCollum, a lifetime law enforcement agent and, since 2002, an instructor at the school. Taking up the famous 1965 disappearance of Atlantan Mary Shotwell Little as a class project, McCollum brought in FBI and police investigators who worked the case and led a class field trip to sites that had been central in the investigation.

"The students were so engaged, so impressed that it became, 'This is the way I have to teach,' " said McCollum.

In the club, students perform their own investigation as academic research. They study news reports and when possible, speak to witnesses and investigators involved in the case.

They are taught and practice a variety of skills such as establishment of a timeline, crime scene reconstruction, blood stain interpretation and bullet trajectory.

Dozens of former and active law enforcement officials have volunteered their time and knowledge with the students, sharing techniques and the wisdom of their experience.

The students' club room is covered with pictures of victims, bits of information and news articles from their last research project. It centered on Wayne Williams, the man convicted in 1982 of two murders that were linked to a series of killings of children and men. The club put together a report that it presented to the Fulton County District Attorney's office.

McCollum believes the club can help the cases. The students' investigation keeps attention on the case and "obviously, the hope is we can connect something that maybe has not been connected before," she said.

(snip)

Amacker, a police officer at the Atlanta University Center, said hearing Susan Levy speak Thursday created a "connection that has taken it to a different level."

It is that compassion that McCollum is trying to foster in her students as they start careers in criminal justice.

click to read article
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/02/04/coldcase0205.html

Copyright© 2008 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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rd



Joined: 13 Sep 2002
Posts: 9273
Location: Jacksonville, FL

PostPosted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 1:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just FYI, we started a timeline for Chandra's case a few years ago and it turned into the book Murder on a Horse Trail. A couple of news organizations also had timelines but several entries were questionable at best.

This is one really complicated timeline.

rd
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rd



Joined: 13 Sep 2002
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Location: Jacksonville, FL

PostPosted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 11:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here's the third member of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, Auburn University - Montgomery. Beth Holloway-Twitty spoke to them today about Natalee's disappearance. As posted earlier, Susan Levy spoke not long ago to the Bauder College and Faulkner University groups in Atlanta.

Here's the story from WSFA.com Montgomery, AL. (fair use)

Beth Holloway in Montgomery to Help Launch Cold Case Institute
WSFA 12 News
Feb 27, 2008

It's a crime that mesmerized people in Alabama and around the world. Now the disappearance of Natalee Holloway is turning into a learning experience for students.

Natalee's mother, Beth Holloway-Twitty, was at Auburn University-Montgomery Wednesday to help kick off a partnership called The Cold Case Investigative Research Institute.

The institute gives criminal law students a chance to work on real-life investigations. It also could shed light on some of the most notorious unsolved crimes.

(snip)

The students are re-examining Natalee Holloway's disappearance in Aruba, along with real-life law enforcement officers.

"They're paired up with someone who either does it or used to do it," said Sheryl McCollum of Bauder College in Atlanta. "it's the best way in the world to learn."

McCollum helped create the institute, which is a partnership between Bauder, AUM, and Faulkner University. Organizers plan to eventually add other schools.

At the very least, students hope to find new information for victims' families. But they also hope to one day help bring an unsolved case to a close.

(snip)

Students will conduct their research in the classroom and in the real world, with trips to crime scenes. They are also investigating the high-profile Chandra Levy murder case in Washington, D.C.

click to read rest
http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=7936119&nav=0RdE

© Copyright 2000 - 2008 WorldNow and WSFA, a Raycom Media Station.
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rd



Joined: 13 Sep 2002
Posts: 9273
Location: Jacksonville, FL

PostPosted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 1:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here are some more details in statements from the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, reported by the Montgomery Advertiser.

from www.montgomeryadvertiser.com (fair use)

AUM sleuths get Holloway case
By Kym Klass
kklass@gannett.com
February 28, 2008

Thirty Students from three area universities will try to do what countless law enforcement officials in this country and on Aruba have been unable to do -- solve the disappearances of Natalee Holloway and Chandra Levy.

The Auburn Montgomery Continuing Education Office and the Alabama Crime Prevention Clearinghouse held a student kick-off for its Cold Case Investigative Research Institute on Wednesday at the AUM Library Tower. The college will participate in the program along with Bauder College and Faulkner University.

(snip)

The cold cases were chosen because of two specific forensic characteristics the students have not had the opportunity to study in the past. One is an underwater crime scene component that is related to the Holloway case. The other addresses forensic anthropology throughout the Levy case.

"Students from all three universities will be working together to solve cold cases," said Sheryl McCollum, CCIRI director.

"They will be conducting investigative research where students will formulate a theory based on every piece of research they come across."

Research will consist of going back to the scene of the crime and interviewing detectives in to get a true sense of what they think may have happened.

Auburn Montgomery Continuing Education's role in the CCIRI will be to host training sessions and conferences on cold case investigations, present and promote effective techniques for research, and offer Continuing Education Units and Police Standards and Training credits to students, faculty and law enforcement professionals.

Lou Harris, head of the criminal justice department at Faulkner, has 25 years experience as an FBI agent.

"It is important to really look at the victims and figure out why their life was taken and not somebody else," he said. "We've started picking up bits and pieces to get this picture of who these people are in these two cases. And we try to get a sense of why these people were victimized."

click to read rest
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/NEWS02/802280314/1009

Copyright © 1997- 2007 The Advertiser Co.
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gozgals



Joined: 28 Jul 2005
Posts: 2892
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 11:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the interesting updates RD.

Happy to know about their investigations and wish them luck in finding missing clues.

I'm sure your book has been very helpful to them all.

Goz
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rd



Joined: 13 Sep 2002
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 7:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

gozgals wrote:

Another article on the students working on Chandra's case and Natalee's case.

(Fair Use)
By Ann O'Neill
CNN
6/11/08

Students try to crack famous cold cases


SNIP
CNN is following four Bauder College students as they build their case files in the Chandra Levy and Natalee Holloway investigations. The Campus Crime Club is part of CNNU, which features student perspectives on news and trends from colleges across the United States.


ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The homicide cop, the prosecutor, the stalking expert and the psychic fielded questions about two unsolved mysteries in a large, sunny room with a skeleton laid out on a table and timelines posted on the walls.

The topic was Chandra Levy, the 24-year-old Bureau of Prisons intern whose 2001 disappearance prompted an investigation that exposed an affair with a congressman, but didn't lead to any arrests.

Psychic medium Reese Christian told the Bauder College criminal justice students that she's been meditating and is getting a mental picture of Levy's killer: He might be employed by the federal government. He might be a serial killer. And he looks like the actor Bill Paxton.

SNIP



Click link for rest of article
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/11/crime.club/index.html

Quote:
Susan Levy and Beth Holloway personally met with the crime club class of 2008. One student, Antonio Wilson, was so moved that he drove to Natalee Holloway's hometown, Mountain Brook, Alabama, after talking with her mother
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rd



Joined: 13 Sep 2002
Posts: 9273
Location: Jacksonville, FL

PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 8:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

As the students try to crack the Chandra Levy and Natalee Holloway cold cases, some of them are blogging on their efforts on CNN. We'll want to follow along with them and see what they have to say.

The logs are:

Student log: Antonio Wilson
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/11/ccc.log.wilson/index.html

Student log: Jennifer Gosdin
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/11/ccc.log.gosdin/index.html

Student log: Charna-Marie Dixon
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/11/ccc.log.dixon/index.html

Student log: Danielle Zayas
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/11/ccc.log.zayas/index.html

Director's log: Sheryl McCollum
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/11/ccc.directors.log/index.html


They just got posted on CNN so I will be looking forward to reading them.

rd
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rd



Joined: 13 Sep 2002
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Location: Jacksonville, FL

PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 8:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is a moving entry from Antonio Wilson's log. A am honored to be included in it, and yes, I will be visiting them soon and helping any way I can.

rd

Log 1: Getting hooked on the cases
January-April 2008

I had wanted to join the CCIRI since seeing the display on the Tupac Shakur case at school. Once I started reading the case file on the Holloway and Levy cases, I was hooked. I truly believe I can help these families. I am intrigued by the challenge of where the pieces fit and who committed these crimes.

I have read "Murder on a Horse Trail," the book on the murder of Chandra Levy. Ralph Daugherty wrote this book and is planning to visit the college soon as one of our experts.

I found this book interesting because it was written by a man that got involved because he wants to find the truth. He is not a family member, not a police officer and not an investigator. He is a civilian who has taken it upon himself to compile information as to what happened to Chandra Levy.


click to read rest
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/11/ccc.log.wilson/index.html
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