A law-enforcement official close to the investigation told NEWSWEEK today that the circumstances under which Levy’s body was discovered lends weight to theories that she was either killed by someone she knew or by a random predator. Evidence at the crime scene for the moment tends to point away from theories that she could have been the victim of a “professional hit.”
Levy’s body was found in a fairly remote area of Rock Creek Park, not far from a picnic area and some distance from the historic Klingle Mansion, whose Web site Levy had been examining in the hours before she disappeared from her apartment close to downtown Washington.
Investigators currently believe that her body was not hidden in any kind of grave, but simply left in a remote area. As the seasons turned, the body became covered with leaves and brush. Although the skeleton was not intact, most of the remains were found in a fairly limited area, a law-enforcement source said.
The source said that an early examination of the remains established the possibility that her skull was damaged, possibly by force. “The remains were not pristine,” the source said. The source confirmed that clothes and personal effects were found near the body, but denied news reports that a ring had been found with the remains.
Because of the relative inaccessibility of the location where the remains were found, investigators are seriously considering the possibility that Levy was “walked up there” by an assailant. Investigators have not ruled out the possibility that such an assailant could have been someone she knew.
Although investigators think it unlikely, based on the available evidence, that she was murdered by professional killers, they still are considering the possibility that she could have been the victim of a predator. However, a senior law-enforcement official said that so far the evidence recovered from the scene matches up with no known modus operandi of any pervert, predator or serial killer who might be operating in the Washington area. The body was found in one of the wealthiest and most crime-free areas of the city.
The official added, however, that if Levy were abducted and murdered by a local mugger, police usually would have picked up “street talk” about the killing and the killer. The official said such murderers usually brag about their actions, but investigators have heard no such talk in the year since Levy disappeared.
A source close to the investigation said that detectives have not yet decided whether they will have to conduct further interviews with Rep. Gary Condit, the California congressman who told police, but refused to acknowledge publicly, that he had a romantic relationship with Levy. The source acknowledged, however, that Condit may well face further investigation and that police now will have to go back over details of the story Condit told about where he was around the time that Levy is believed to have vanished.
