Eight Years Later : an Arrest Will Soon Be Made in Chandra Levy Case

Eight years after the disappearance and murder of intern Chandra Levy, her parents have told The Washington Post that they were notified that an arrest warrant is pending in the next few days. The Levys do not know who the suspect is.

The case of Chandra Levy has had police and the public baffled in the eight years since Levy disappeared. At the end of April 2001, Chandra Levy, 24, had just finished an internship with the Washington U.S. Bureau of Prisons and was planning to move back to Modesto. She was last seen April 30^th, when she canceled her membership at a gym several blocks from her apartment. She was never seen again.

Her picture was quickly scattered across the country: a beautiful girl with a head full of dark curly hair and a beaming smile. Police dutifully searched the Rock Creek Park, as Levy's computer history indicated that she had been interested in visiting it. However, they didn't find Levy's body until May 22, 2002 and by that time, any forensic evidence had disappeared.

The case easily became one of the country's most famous unsolved mysteries, especially after Levy's affair with married congressman Gary Condit was revealed. Condit soon became the focus of the Levy case, which eventually destroyed his career.

Recently, investigation in the case has picked up, largely due to a 13-part narrative investigation into the case by The Washington Post published in July. The piece pointed to Salvadoran immigrant Ingmar Guandique as the most likely suspect in Levy's murder.
Guandique, 27, had previously attacked two women at knifepoint in the Rock Creek Park around the same time that Levy disappeared. Guandique has denied that he has anything to do with the death.

The news that the mystery of the Chandra Levy case could possibly be at an end is a relief for investigators, her parents and all who have followed the case. It's one of those cases that everyone remembers because of the scandal, the tragedy and the image of the pretty young intern.

The breakthrough is encouraging and gives hope to other unsolved cases, such as the JonBenet Ramsey case and most recently, the Juliana Redding murder. Juliana Redding, 21, was an aspiring actress who had moved from Arizona to California to pursue her dream.

Redding scored her first film role at age 18, was featured in Maxim magazine, was taking college courses and was working part-time at a popular Venice Beach bar. Redding was found dead inside her Santa Monica apartment in March 2006 and police have yet to arrest her killer.

Though police know a great deal about the case and cause of death, none of that information has been released. Police have no persons of interest or suspects. Unlike the parents of Chandra Levy who willingly reached out to the media for help in solving their daughter's murder, Redding's family is reticent to discuss the case with the media.

As with Chandra Levy's case, police have many questions and few answers.

Sari Horwitz and Scott Higham, Arrest in Chandra Levy Case 'Imminent', The Washington Post

Sari Horwitz, Scott Higham and Sylvia Moreno, Who Killed Chandra Levy?, The Washington Post

Rupa Mikkilineni, Slain Actress Found Dark Side of Hollywood Dream, CNN.com