This story has developed some serious legs over at Free Republic
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3b07d696212e.htm...
Mystery of the missing intern has Washington abuzz
By BOB DART
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
WASHINGTON - The nation's heart strings have been tugged by the mysterious disappearance of a 24-year-old intern with curly brown hair, a rose tattoo above her right ankle, and a friendship with a congressman over twice her age.
Network news broadcasts and newspapers from coast to coast are reporting about Chandra Ann Levy. After completing an internship at the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, she vanished May 1, just before she planned to return for post-graduate commencement ceremonies at the University of Southern California.
Searching her tidy apartment near Dupont Circle, Washington police found ''all her identification in there - driver's license, credit cards, checkbook, jewelry, cell phone - anything that a normal person would take out with them when they go out on the street,'' a spokesman told reporters.
Her parents, of course, are frantic with worry. They flew back to their hometown of Modesto, Calif., on Friday after meeting with police and politicians in Washington and appearing on practically every network talk show to appeal for help in finding their daughter.
''This is scary and frustrating and very hard,'' a distraught Susan Levy said at a news conference. ''It's been a nightmare.''
Questions are swirling about the missing intern's relationship with Rep. Gary Condit, D-Calif. District police are investigating witness accounts that Chandra Levy visited Condit's apartment several times, said Kervin Johnson, a department spokesman. Condit, 53, who is married with two children, has denied any romantic involvement and described the two as good friends.
In e-mails to college friends obtained by the Modesto Bee, Chandra Levy described a blossoming relationship with a boyfriend whom she would not identify. The messages suggest the man she was dating was connected to Capitol Hill.
''Everything here in DC is going good,'' she wrote last Dec. 23. ''My man will be coming back here when Congress starts up again. I'm looking forward to seeing him.''
The Bee also reported that Chandra Levy wrote about purposely misleading another friend about dating an FBI agent ''so she wouldn't ask questions'' about her real boyfriend's identity.
In another e-mail, the intern talked about a flight between Washington and Sacramento where ''the nice thing is that the man I'm seeing took care of my plane ticket for me!''
So far, the investigation has created a lot of buzz but few leads.
''It is the story that everybody is talking about in Washington,'' reported ABC correspondent Claire Shipman.
''In missing persons cases, people respond when it's somebody they can relate to,'' explained Stuart Schwartz, supervising producer of the true-life TV show ''Unsolved Mysteries.''
''This involves the worst fear in the back of the mind of every parent,'' he explained. ''This could be their daughter who they sent off to college or a new job in a new city.''
The rumors of a congressman's involvement add to the interest, he said. ''With us, though, he would only become part of the (televised) story if legitimate suspicion is placed on him.''
Robert Levy, a Modesto oncologist, and his wife, Susan, met Thursday with Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, both California Democrats.
''There is no worse thing that can happen to a parent,'' Feinstein told reporters afterward.
The Levys last heard from their daughter on May 1. She sent an e-mail message with plans for her flight home. When she did not respond to subsequent e-mails and phone calls, they called her friends, then reported her missing to the Washington police on May 6.
Since searching her apartment, police are examining Chandra Levy's diary, her laptop computer and cell phone records, unidentified sources told the Modesto Bee.
Chandra Levy apparently met Condit through a friend from California, Jennifer Baker, who spent a semester as an intern in the congressman's Washington office.
Condit added $10,000 in campaign funds to the $15,000 reward offered by the Levys for information about their daughter's whereabouts. In a statement issued through his spokesman, Condit said ''Chandra is a great person and a good friend. We hope she is found safe and sound.''
In a second statement, he said, ''This is about Chandra Levy. 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.''
Condit's press spokesman did not return calls Friday.
Levy was last seen in person on April 30 at the Washington Sports Club, when she resigned her membership. She typically worked out several evenings a week. She is 5 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs 110 pounds.
She grew up in Modesto. In 1998, she graduated from California State University in San Francisco with a degree in journalism. She met Baker in Sacramento during an internship in the office of Gov. Gray Davis.
Last fall, she began study at USC's Washington center and interned at the Bureau of Prisons. She was scheduled to receive her Master of Public Administration degree from USC this month.
A USC classmate, Michelle Yanez, told the Los Angeles Times that Chandra Levy wanted to stay in Washington because of her unidentified boyfriend, but her parents wanted her home. Yanez said her friend was so secretive about this relationship that ''it worried us.''