www.justiceforchandra.com

[benn]

jane

I think the parents wanted to have something quiet, about 60 people. I am hoping that they also kept the examination of the remains quiet, but we will see I guess.

benn

[jane]

quote from the Modesto Bee

Levys bury daughter in private

By MICHAEL DOYLE
BEE WASHINGTON BUREAU

Published: May 28, 2003, 05:58:43 AM PDT

Chandra Levy's remains were laid to rest at Lakewood Memorial Park on Tuesday, in a private ceremony attended by family and investigators who still hope to solve her murder.
The 11 a.m. service at the cemetery between Empire and Hughson took place without the cameras that have shadowed the case since Levy disappeared two years ago. It was a deliberate hush.

"It's always painful to watch a parent as they witness their child being lowered into the ground," said Billy Martin, a Washington attorney representing the Levy family and who attended the service.

In a telephone interview afterward, he described the 45-minute service. He said about 40 people attended the traditional Jewish ceremony colored by some nontraditional touches.

Rabbi Paul Gordon, of Modesto's Congregation Beth Shalom, officiated. Levy's parents, Bob and Susan, and her brother, Adam, read the Lord's Prayer. They took turns shoveling dirt over the wooden casket.

They released, at ceremony's end, a dozen white doves that found their freedom in the perfectly blue sky.

"It was a pretty heavy day for the Levy family," Martin said, adding later that "this is a difficult time for the fam-ily, and they hope that everyone will respect their privacy."

The service occurred in what has become a month of wrenching memories.

It was just more than two years ago, on May 1, 2001, that Levy's parents last heard from their 24-year-old daughter, via e-mail.

She had just concluded an internship with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, and was due back in California for graduation from a master's degree program at the University of Southern California.

Her disappearance became media fodder as the details of her friendship with then-Rep. Gary Condit of Ceres came to light. Condit, who no longer denies reports that he told police he was having an affair with Levy, lost his re-election bid and now lives in Arizona.

On May 22, 2002, a man walking his dog came across some of Levy's bones in Washington's Rock Creek Park. Six days later, a memorial service at Modesto Centre Plaza drew about 1,200 people.

Ultimately, investigators found about 85 percent of Levy's skeletal remains. Martin said they were transferred recently by Washington's chief medical examiner to a Washington-area mortuary and then, last weekend, flown to California.

Dr. Jonathan Arden, chief medical examiner in the nation's capital, concluded that Levy had been a homicide victim, but that the cause of death could not be determined.

Some close family associates hoped that the remains would yield answers if subjected to further analysis.

Martin said Tuesday that the investigation continues, and included recent interviews by private investigator

Duane Stanton in California. Stanton, a former Washington homicide detective, attended Tuesday's graveside service.

Stanton and his partner, Joe McCann, also a former Washington detective, have been on the case since the Levy family retained Martin in summer 2001.

"We're constantly updating our interviews and investigation and continue to turn over any leads we have to the grand jury, which is still ongoing," Martin said.

"We'll continue probing the authorities and hope that with all their resources they'll be able to find the killer or killers."

Bee Washington Bureau reporter Michael Doyle can be reached at (202) 383-0006 or mdoyle@mcclatchydc.com.
_________________
"There is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known."
Christ

[jane]

quote from CNN

Two years after disappearance, Chandra Levy laid to rest

Wednesday, May 28, 2003 Posted: 7:30 AM EDT (1130 GMT)

MODESTO, California (CNN) -- Relatives and close friends of Chandra Levy held a private burial Tuesday, just days after Washington police turned her remains over to her family, said George Arata, an attorney for the Levys.

Between 75 and 100 people attended the traditional Jewish service, Arata said. The Levys also were having a service at their home Tuesday night, which Arata said was part of the family's tradition.

"It's still a very tough situation on the parents, very emotional," Arata said.

Levy, 24, a former federal Bureau of Prisons intern from the district of U.S. Rep. Gary Condit, D-California, was last seen in Washington on April 30, 2001. The case received national attention because of speculation that she and Condit were having an affair.

Condit publicly has acknowledged only a friendship with Levy. Police sources said he told them the two had a romantic relationship.

In an interview with Connie Chung on ABC in August 2001, Condit said: "I've been married 34 years. I have not been a perfect man. I have made mistakes in my life. But out of respect for my family, out of a specific request by the Levy family, it is best that I not get into the details of the relationship."

Levy's remains were found May 22, 2002, by a man walking his dog in a remote, wooded area of a large D.C.-area park. Her death was ruled a homicide.

The remains arrived in California over the weekend, Arata said, after a week of paperwork and procedural wrangling needed to transport them cross-country. Washington police kept a couple of Levy's bones as evidence, he said.

The burial was held at Lakewood Memorial Park, just east of Modesto.

"Condit did not attend, which is a good thing," Arata said. "I don't think that would have went over too well at all."

No one has ever been named a suspect in Levy's slaying.

That police returned Levy's remains doesn't indicate anything about the status of the case, Arata said.

"The investigation is still ongoing. That's exactly what they keep telling us," he said. However, he said, authorities in Washington have told the family that "they feel they are close to doing something with the case. I can't tell you what."
_________________
"There is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known."
Christ

[jane]

This article is very similar to the Mod Bee article, also by Michael Doyle; but there are a few differences, so I decided to post it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
quote from Fresno Bee

Chandra Levy's remains laid to rest, but her murder remains unsolved

MICHAEL DOYLE
Fresno Bee

May 28, 2003, 02:50

Chandra Levy's remains were laid to rest in a Modesto-area cemetery Tuesday, in an acutely private ceremony attended by family members and investigators who still hope to solve her murder.
The 11 a.m. service at Lakewood Memorial Park in the town of Hughson occurred unaccompanied by the cameras that have shadowed the case since Levy disappeared two years ago. It was a deliberate hush.

"It's always painful to watch a parent as they witness their child being lowered into the ground," Billy Martin, the Washington-based attorney who's been representing the Levy family, said in a telephone interview.

Martin described the 45-minute service that he attended along with private investigator Duane Stanton, a former Washington homicide detective who's been working on the Levy case. They were among about 40 people attending the traditional Jewish ceremony colored by some non-traditional touches.

Rabbi Paul Gordon, of Modesto's Congregation Beth Shalom, officiated. Levy's parents, Bob and Susan, and her brother Adam jointly read the Lord's Prayer. They took turns shoveling dirt over the wooden casket.

They released, at ceremony's end, a dozen white doves that found their freedom in the perfectly blue sky.

"It was a pretty heavy day for the Levy family," Martin said, adding later that "this is a difficult time for the family, and they hope that everyone will respect their privacy."

The burial service occurred in what has become a month of wrenching memories. A 24-year-old former intern at the federal Bureau of Prisons, Chandra Levy was last heard from in a May 1, 2001 e-mail to her parents.

Almost immediately, her disappearance became media fodder as the details of her friendship with then-Congressman Gary Condit came to light. Condit, who no longer denies reports he told police he was having an affair with Levy, was defeated for re-election and now lives in Arizona.

On May 22, 2002, the first of Levy's weathered bones were found in Washington's Rock Creek Park. On May 28 of the same year, a memorial service at Modesto's Centre Plaza drew about 1,200 people and once more riveted considerable national attention.

Ultimately, investigators found about 85 percent of Levy's skeletal remains. Martin said they were recently transferred by Washington's chief medical examiner to a Washington-area mortuary, and then over the weekend flown to California.

Jewish custom calls for an immediate burial, within 24 hours if possible, unless there are extenuating circumstances, because with the soul returned to God there is no cause for the body to linger on Earth.

Some close family associates, though, also hoped the remains would yield answers if subjected to further analysis. Washington's chief medical examiner, Dr. Jonathan Arden, concluded that Levy was killed, but said the exact cause of death can't be determined.

Martin said Tuesday the work continues. That includes interviews recently conducted in California by Stanton.

Stanton and his partner Joe McCann, also a former Washington detective, have been on the case since the Levy family retained Martin in the summer of 2001.

"We're constantly updating our interviews and investigation, and continue to turn over any leads we have to the grand jury, which is still ongoing," Martin said. "We'll continue probing the authorities, and hope that with all their resources they'll be able to find the killer or killers."


© Copyright 2003 by Capitol Hill Blue
_________________
"There is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known."
Christ

[rd]

Well, Martin is still the attorney, but didn't return calls to at least one of the forensic experts? And she was buried quickly. Maybe the experts got a look at her while she was still in DC?

I wish any of us could say they felt closure. I'm sure no one at that funeral does. May Chandra rest in peace.

rd

[jane]

rd said, Maybe the experts got a look at her while she was still in DC?


I dearly hope so (but fear they didn't. Still feel we're not 100% sure it's not imposter remains).
_________________
"There is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known."
Christ

[violetflame]

Jane you know I had not thought of that. BUt is is "conviniet" that Chandra's remains were found in the PArk wehre the police had been looking for and over a year of people walking by and then all the sudden there she is in almost plain view .

I would hope that her parents had the forensic team look at and examine her to see if it was her and anything they cold tell of her death. When adn how she died if possible.

I can thought after two long horrible years that her family just wanted to lay her to rest and have some sort of closure. But I thikn I would still want to know why ir what actually happened if I were them.

It does seem odd that it has been over two years ago that she brought all of us together. And we may never know what really did happen or who did kill her.

[rd]

The experts were able to look at her with a magnifying glass, so they would have been able to confirm it was her from dental records.

rd

[EmmaPeel]

As RD said, the experts did get to view the bones, but not with the technical tool to conduct a through viewing of the bones. But all that probably would have given them (at best) was a determination of the manner of death.

But they didn't get ANY access to the other evidence, such as clothes and other material found in that site. And without that access, it's basically impossible to make any finds that would lead to her killer.

Hi Violet--glad to see you posting again.

However, I don't think a lot of people passed by horse and other trails to the contrary, I never read where many people ventured into that area of the park--probably out of fear of being mugged. Or that the body was in plain view. The person who made the find, didn't spot her first--his dog did. And then her remains were strew under debris and leaves from a year of waiting.

[jane]

rd, they may have compared the teeth to dental records, but where did they get the records - from the Coroner? How do we know they were really Chandra's records?

We do know that the three experts expressed a desire to do some tests on markings found on the teeth.

BTW, Violet, it was something you said back at WC that got me wondering whether we can be sure the remains are Chandra's.
_________________
"There is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known."
Christ

[rd]

I believe they got the dental records from her family her probably had to get them from her dentist. Of course, planting a body and replacing the dental records with those of the body is possible, but that would be a major conspiracy. The body was clearly there through the winter and before, as Emma described, and they already had dental records as the match was done very quickly afte rthe body was found. Planting another body and replacing Chandra's dental records on file for whenever the body might be found would be quite something, wouldn't it?

rd

[jane]

Yes, it would be quite an assignment finding a suitable corpse. Taking x-rays of the imposter corpse's teeth and replacing the correct ones would be the easy part - a piece of cake.

When a person is reported missing, the party doing the reporting is responsible for having dental records submitted within a short time, so it's almost certain the authorities already had the records long before the remains were discovered.

I'm not saying I think a switcheroo is likely, just possible.
_________________
"There is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known."
Christ

[jane]

Chandra's death notice from the Modesto Bee, 28 May 2003

CHANDRA ANN LEVY APRIL 14, 1977 - MAY ?, 2001 Born in Cleveland, Ohio


A strong soul was taken too early! Chandra is missed deeply and dearly by her mother, Susan; father, Robert and brother, Adam and all those who have been touched by her life and tragic end. She had so much to offer and was enthusiastic in her efforts to contribute to the betterment of the world.

During high school, Chandra won second place in the Modesto peace Essay Contest and was active in the Explorer Scouts program working for both the Modesto Police Dept. as well as the Modesto Bee Newspaper. Chandra graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.S. in Journalism and a Master's of Public Administration from the University of Southern California where she was a member of the Lambda Chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society.

Chandra was an intern for the Bureau of Secondary Education in Sacramento under Governor Davis as well as working in Los Angeles's Mayor Rariden's office. She also worked in Washington, D.C. in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. She was interested in pursuing a law degree and had submitted her application for employment with the FBI.

In line with Chandra's spirit and impact within her world, the following segment from the original Mother's Day Proclamation in 1870 by Julia Ward Howe:

Arise then...women of this day! Arise all women who have hearts! Whether your baptism be of water or of tears! Say firmly: We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies ... Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace... each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar, but of God.

A private service will be held for family and close friends. Donations in Chandra's memory can be offered to the Wings of Protection, PO Box 579604, Modesto, CA, 95357 209-545-5569

The Levy family appreciates the love and support given from the Modesto community and from those across the nation.
Published in the Modesto Bee on 5/28/2003.

Flowers & gifts • Charities • Guest Book
_________________
"There is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known."
Christ

[jane]

Link to Chandra's guestbook:

http://www.legacy.com/modestobee/LegacySubPage2.asp?Page=GuestBook&PersonID=1042803

I was going to put in a message, but noticed one by a certain Joyce and decided to pass! [I changed my mind later and my message is there now - 30 May]

The guestbook will be there 'til June 27, 2003 (but there's a link for donations for keeping it open).
_________________
"There is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known."
Christ

[jane]

quote from the Modesto Bee, Opinion

Two years later, Chandra Levy is home for good

Published: May 30, 2003, 08:03:48 AM PDT

Earlier this week, Chandra Levy finally returned home -- more than two years after she disappeared and a year after her remains were found in a Washington, D.C., park.
As TV cameras and reporters gathered Tuesday in downtown Modesto to cover the latest developments in the Laci Peterson case, about 40 of Chandra's relatives and friends gathered 13 miles away as the young woman's remains were quietly -- and very privately -- laid to rest.

Like Laci, Chandra was full of life -- young, vivacious, outgoing and almost impossible not to like. Like Laci, she disappeared under mysterious circumstances, leaving her family and friends hoping against hope for her safe return. And like Laci, the family's worst fears ultimately were confirmed, when Chandra's body was discovered more than a year after she vanished.

But today, two years after Chandra vanished, her murder remains a mystery; while Washington police say their investigation is continuing, no one has been charged in her disappearance and death.

Thus there is no closure, as if closure is even possible, for Chandra's parents, Robert and Susan Levy; her brother, Adam; and the family and friends who knew her, and loved her, and miss her.

We continue to keep them in our thoughts and prayers, and Chandra in our memory. And we continue to hope that her killer will be identified, arrested and brought to justice.
_________________
"There is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known."
Christ