Shallow Grave

May 22, 2002 9:12 AM

Shallow Grave I just heard they found a female body in a shallow grave in Rock Creek Park here in DC. Could it be Chandra?
posted by pjdoland (27 comments total)

Unless it's easily determined by tattoos or other signs, or documents on the body, I guess that after almost a year we'll have to wait for an autopsy
posted by matteo at 9:16 AM on May 22, 2002

I thought it was only a skull..
posted by dopamine at 9:31 AM on May 22, 2002

actual relevant link here.

Police source says only a skull.
posted by Sapphireblue at 9:37 AM on May 22, 2002

See previous MetaTalk discussion on why this is a bad front-page post. The link is just to Rock Creek Park itself.
posted by mcwetboy at 9:37 AM on May 22, 2002

Yes, CNN says it's bones
We'll have to wait for the autopsy I guess
posted by matteo at 9:38 AM on May 22, 2002

skull, black hair, and walkman. ...or so they just said on foxnews.
posted by tomplus2 at 9:49 AM on May 22, 2002

um, and how exactly does this all point to Chandra Levy?
posted by mcsweetie at 10:02 AM on May 22, 2002

How many people were killed in DC last year? Why do we immediately leap to the conclusion that this one happens to be the famous one?
posted by ook at 10:02 AM on May 22, 2002

Well, because she's famous.

But also because of the search of Chandra Levy's computer after her disappearance which showed that one of the very last things she did before vanishing was to Mapquest directions to a landmark, Klingle Mansion, in the park. The park is big and wild enough that it'd be a decent choice for dead-body disposal, so sure it could be anyone... but Chandra's trail went cold on her way to the park, so it makes some sense for her to be guess number one here.
posted by Sapphireblue at 10:10 AM on May 22, 2002

Well, the remains were found near the Klingle mansion, which figured in her last day's internet searches. It's not a positive ID, but it is highly suggestive.

Some other DC missing persons. ISTR that the figure for DC Metro is around 80 unsolved cases a year.
posted by dhartung at 10:10 AM on May 22, 2002

We'll have to wait for the autopsy, I guess.
posted by briank at 10:16 AM on May 22, 2002

It was surely planted by the government to deflect attention from a few things in the news, right?
posted by allpaws at 10:30 AM on May 22, 2002

Not unless they were planting bushes.
posted by bittennails at 10:48 AM on May 22, 2002

Sapphireblue, dhartung: thanks; I hadn't known about the Klingle mansion connection. That makes more sense now.
posted by ook at 10:54 AM on May 22, 2002

We'll have to wait for the autopsy, I guess.

I would expect a DNA test to be quicker and more accurate.
posted by a_green_man at 11:15 AM on May 22, 2002

The Where's Chandra blog. Well not really, but they do have some informed people on the boards over there.
posted by euphorb at 11:46 AM on May 22, 2002

There's nothing to know yet, and once there is anything to know it will be everywhere.
posted by NortonDC at 12:05 PM on May 22, 2002

Dental records are a quick match it wont take long.
posted by stbalbach at 12:52 PM on May 22, 2002

Reports are coming in now. It's her. How sad.
posted by Gilbert at 2:40 PM on May 22, 2002

Here
posted by matteo at 2:53 PM on May 22, 2002

Washington Post says:
Remains found in park are Chandra Levy's
posted by bonheur at 4:00 PM on May 22, 2002

Reports are that the skull was found separately, and perhaps other bones were also scattered. Which could simply mean her body was scavenged by animals. The really interesting question is why none of this turned up with all the public square-foot-by-square-foot searching.

I will note that her body being found here tends to reduce the likelihood that Condit was actually involved in her death.
posted by dhartung at 4:34 PM on May 22, 2002

It's interesting that Chief Ramsey actually raises the possibility of her remains being dumped in the park sometime after the area had been searched. I know it's difficult for him to avoid comment, but we're left to wonder if he's just covering for a possible oversight or if he really believes someone thought the best hiding place was where the police had already looked (or worse, where the public was led to expect the remains to be).
posted by xiffix at 4:53 PM on May 22, 2002

I will note that her body being found here tends to reduce the likelihood that Condit was actually involved in her death.

How do you figure? If someone did it to help him out of a jam, that park was as good a place as any, nicely isolated, able to be passed off as a random mugging homicide.

Perhaps it makes it less likely that he personally killed her with his own hands, as Condit seems to have his whereabouts basically acconted for that afternoon.
posted by sacre_bleu at 5:15 PM on May 22, 2002

Ahem. "Accounted."
posted by sacre_bleu at 5:17 PM on May 22, 2002

If she was buried in a shallow grave the initial search dogs may have missed the spot but as she decomposed with time feral dogs or whatever came in and dug her up. Seems a more likey scenario then her body was moved there later.
posted by stbalbach at 5:40 PM on May 22, 2002

Time to call Grissom and Scully since fictitious characters that don't exist would obviously be able to solve this case faster than the real police who couldn't find a dead body chopped up and left in a shallow grave right under their freakin' noses. I mean who the hell is this guy? The Simpsons' Chief Wiggum? And they say crime doesn't pay.
posted by ZachsMind at 8:16 PM on May 22, 2002