A Scandalous Affair and the Mysterious Death of Chandra Levy

Was Chandra Levy killed because of her affair with a high-ranking congressman?

On September 11, 2001, America was changed forever. However, for weeks before the terrorist attacks occurred on that fateful day, all the media could talk about was the mysterious disappearance of a 24-year-old woman called Chandra Ann Levy.

Levy had been an intern with the Federal Bureau of Prisons and was also linked to an older, married Congressman Gary Condit. They were reportedly having an affair before her disappearance and there was a cloud of suspicion over him. Could he have been involved?

This is their story.

The intern

Chandra Ann Levy was born on April 14, 1977, to Robert and Susan Levy. The family lived in Northern California and Levy had a very ordinary childhood playing the bossy older sister to her little brother.

As she grew older, she ended up going to San Francisco State University and getting a degree in journalism. She then decided to pursue a Master's degree in public administration at the University of Southern California.

Levy had always been interested in a career in the FBI and the Master's degree gave her an opportunity to intern at the Bureau of Prisons. Levy was quite ambitious and the internship would give her access to high-profile government offices and politicians in the California government.

It was during the internship that Levy met Congressman Gary Condit.

The congressman and the affair

Gary Condit was a conservative Blue Dog Democrat who politically identified as a centrist. He had been elected to Congress in 1989 and was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California at the time that he met Levy.

Condit had grown up religious and conservative. His father was a pastor at a Baptist church. Condit was also a family man who had married his high school sweetheart at the age of 18.

The affair began soon after Levy arrived in Washinton D.C. in the fall of 2000 for her internship. Levy met Condit when she was visiting the offices of California senators and congressmen. She was accompanying a friend who was also searching for an internship and the two ladies thought that they could make the rounds of the senators’ offices.

It was Congressman Condit who decided to escort the two women and show them around the building. He went a step further and offered an internship to Levy’s friend.

Levy was happy that her friend had obtained an internship on Capitol Hill. However, she also couldn’t stop thinking about the 53-years-old Condit and how handsome and charming he was. She didn’t seem to mind that he was 28 years older than she was.

Levy decided to visit her friend who was working at the new job on Capitol Hill. During the visit, she bumped into Condit again and they exchanged phone numbers. That was the beginning of their relationship.

According to author Michael Martinez, it was Levy who pursued Condit by calling him. The relationship went a step further when Condit invited Levy to his private condo which he used whenever he was in Washington D.C. His wife would always stay behind in their home in California.

Very soon, the congressman and the young intern were having a secret affair. They never went out in public and Condit tried to ensure that Levy would tell no one about the affair.

For the most part, Levy kept quiet about the affair except when it came to her aunt, Linda Zamsky. She confided in her aunt and told her that she loved Condit and that he would leave his wife for her. Eventually, her mother Susan Levy also found out about the affair.

The affair continued for 5 more months. In April 2001, Levy decided to return to California for her commencement. Her internship had ended and she was considering the next step to take. Nevertheless, she had every intention of returning back to Washington D.C. and into the arms of Condit. She even told Condit of her plans.

Sadly, Levy never made it to California. She disappeared on May 1, 2001.

The death of Chandra Levy

When Levy failed to show up in California, her parents frantically contacted the police in Washington D.C. When the police searched Levy’s apartment, they found her keys and a ring missing. Her credit cards, cellphone, and ID were left behind.

With the knowledge that Levy was missing, Levy’s mother and aunt further revealed her affair with Congressman Condit to the authorities and media. The police interviewed Condit and he hemmed and hawed when it came to answering questions about his affair with Levy. In addition, he quickly denied that he had anything to do with her death.

In public, Condit completely denied that he had an affair with Levy. He claimed that they were just friends and he was helping her with her career. In private, some police sources state that he did admit to having an affair with Levy. In either case, admitting to the affair did not make him a killer. Also, the police found no suspicious activity on the part of Condit although sometimes he came across as cagey and evasive when questioned.

Some headway may have been made in the case but then September 11, 2001, happened. Levy’s disappearance was quickly forgotten by the media and even the authorities were busy with seemingly more important matters.

About a year later on May 22, 2002, a man walking his dog in Rock Creek Park discovered a decomposed body. Tests confirmed that Levy had been found. The police declared her death to be a homicide but they found it difficult to pinpoint an exact cause of death as the body was badly decomposed.

The making of a cold case

One arrest was made in Levy’s death. A jail informant revealed that Ingmar Guandique, a young man from El Salvador had admitted to assaulting women in Rock Creek Park. The authorities still could not pin Levy’s death on Guandique but they were able to send him to prison for assaults on 2 other women walking in the park where Levy’s body was found.

In 2016, Guandique was released from prison and deported to El Salvador. New information had come in that the jail informant who had previously claimed Guandique might have killed Levy was lying.

Meanwhile, Gary Condit’s political career never recovered. His constituents could not forget his affair with Levy and her untimely death. He lost his bid for reelection and then faded from the public eye. He is still married to his wife.

There are some who still believe Condit may have had something to do with Levy’s death. Sadly, the case remains unsolved to this day.

Sources: J Michael Martinez, ABC News, Washington Post, Daily Mail

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