Finding Chandra - A True Washington Murder Mystery

Jul 30, 2026

Finding Chandra examines the high-profile disappearance of intern Chandra Levy in 2001 and the stalled investigation that followed, focusing on how police and the FBI misdirected attention and pursued false leads. Drawing on a later Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting effort, the book revisits a key suspect overlooked for years and details the failures around identifying the crime scene and capturing the perpetrator. It also explores Washington’s political and media culture and the lasting anguish of Levy’s parents.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages312

Reading Time8 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Finding Chandra - A True Washington Murder Mystery

The disappearance and the case going cold

The Washington Post investigation and series

The overlooked suspect in Rock Creek Park

Police failures, political scandal, and family grief

BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY 39999068488939 F I N DI NGCH AN DRAA TRU E WASHINGTONM UR DE R MYS TE RY“Washington's In Cold Blood,experland marvelously told bytwo ofjournalism³sgreatest investigative reporters.”—BOB wooDWAR D,author ofAll the President's Menand The War WithinScott Higham and Sari HorwitzWINNERS OF THE PULIT ZER PBIZ E C.n.36-8 t was the mystery that gripped the nation duringthe summer of 2001:the sudden disappearance ofChandra Levy,a young,promising intern,and thepossible involvement of Congressman Gary Condit.And then the case went cold.By 2007,satellite trucksand reporters had long since abandoned the storyof the congressman and the intern in search of othernews,fresh scandals.Across the country,Chandra'sparents tried to resume their daily lives,desperatelyhoping that someday there might be a break in theinvestigation. I And in Washington,the old game of who's up andwho's down played on without interruption. But Chandra Levy haunted.Six years after theyoung intern's disappearance,investigative editorsof the Washington Post pitched two Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters their idea:Revisit the unsolved caseand find out what happened to Chandra,a task that hadeluded police and the FBI Scott Higham and Sari Horwitz went to work.Theresult was a thirteen-part series in the Washington Postthat focused on a prime suspect the police and the FBIhad passed over years before.They had wrongly pursuedCondit and chased numerous false leads,including aclaim that Chandra had been kidnapped and taken tothe Middle East. But the most likely culprit was far less glamorous:animmigrant from EI Salvador,a young man in the clutchesof alcohol,drugs,and violence who had been stalking therunning paths of Rock Creek Park,assaulting femalejoggers at knifepoint.He had attacked again,even as thepolice and the press concentrated on a congressmanromantically linked to the intern. Finding Chandra explores the bungled policeefforts to locate the crime scene and catch a killer,the ambition and hubris of Washington's power eliteand press corps,the twisted culture of politics,thedark nature of political scandal,and the agony ofparents struggling to comprehend the loss of a child. Boston Public Library 410 ① _ _ eL1 Salccl th n Digitized by the Internet Archivein 2012 画 # FINDINGCHANDRA A TRUE WASHINGTONMURDER MYSTERY Scott Higham and Sari Horwitz SCRIBNEBNew York London Toronto Sydney SCRIBNER A Division of Simon &Schuster,Inc.1230 Avenue of the AmericasNew York,NY 10020 Copyright ◎2010 by Scott Higham and Sari Horwitz All rights reserved,including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereofin any form whatsoever.For information address Scribner Subsidiary Rights Department,1230 Avenue of the Americas,New York,NY 10020. First Scribner hardcover edition May 2010 SCRIBNER and design are registered trademarks of The Gale Group,Inc.,used under license by Simon &Schuster,Inc.,the publisher of this work. For information about special discounts for bulk purchases,please contact Simon &Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949or business@simonandschuster.com. The Simon &Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event.For more information or to book an event,contact the Simon &Schuster Speakers Bureauat 1-866-248-3049or visit our website at www.simonspeakerscom. Manufactured in the United States of America 3579108642 Library of Congress Control Number:2009050721 ISBN 978-1-4391-3867-0 ISBN 978-1-4391-4876-1(ebook) Photograph credits appear on page 288. For Chandra

FAQs

What case does Finding Chandra focus on?

It focuses on the 2001 disappearance of Chandra Levy and the investigation that stalled, including attention that was incorrectly directed at other connections.

How did Scott Higham and Sari Horwitz approach the unsolved case?

They revisited the unsolved matter for the Washington Post with a reporting effort that became a thirteen-part series identifying a key suspect previously overlooked.

What themes does the book emphasize beyond the investigation?

It emphasizes political and media hubris, the culture of scandal in Washington, and the enduring grief and confusion experienced by Levy’s parents.

Jul 30, 2026

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