Chandra: Conspiracy or incompetence? Did the DC police, or anyone, use cadaver dogs?

[ken5050]

In watching the media coverage of the discovery of Chandra's remains yesterday, much was made of the inensice grid search of the area last year by the DC police cadets. It is very easy, in a heavily wooded area, to overlook anything, even a body, if it is buried in the earth, and then covered with brush. However, that would not deter a cadaver dog. These animals can detect small pieces of decomposing flesh, so an entire body would have been an easy find for a trained animal. So, this begs the question. Were cadaver dogs used in the search?

[Japedo]

Conspiracy or incompetence?

Your guess is as good as mine, Until we have more facts It could be any number of things. I really think People love "who done it's" (myself included) I always try to Guess the least obvious. I think Condit is much to Obvious. Could be he's been framed from a "scorned lover" to politically motivated. Question to most Murders is Who benefits. How would Killing her Benefit Gary Condit? we can say all the "could be's and maybes" I.E. (MAYBE she was pregnant) (MAYBE she was going to tell all) (Maybe that's not the case,) (Maybe she had a stalker) Maybe lots of things. Thing is.. its a mystery right now.. To everyone.. Except the killer(s).

[crystalk]

No, this is wrong. It is only 4 miles from her apt to the body site, so 8 miles ROUND trip, a long jog, not likely, more likely she was taken by cab or car.

[crystalk]

No, it is quite far from the mansion, over a mile, and not in any predictable route or sequence that a person would jog or walk on a nice day. More likely, the killing was done over here at some residence of a friend, who was out of town for awhile, etc.

[tracer]

Don't be too rough on the DC poh-leece.

They were confused by the FBI's advice to utilize "cadaver dogs" -- and it took them three weeks to find six canines that were not too badly decomposed...

[crystalk]

yes, that exact map address is on another site on FR today.

Or just go to mapquest and get the corner of Brandywine at Broad Branch, Washington 20008.

[crystalk]

No, the park makes up THREE percent of DC.

[crystalk]

Yes, Joyce Chiang in January of 1999, I believe it was, and Kristen Modafferi in June of 1997, I think it was, and Christine Mirzayan in August of 1998, I believe it was...

[crystalk]

Condit himself was the only one who ever said train trip, which wouldn't have even got her to Cal, in time. Then the train rates show up on her laptop, leading one to think it was a Conditista, not Chandra, on the computer that May 1.

[Spook86]

I'm not a cop, but I'm starting to lean toward the "Vince Foster/Dumped Body Theory." The D.C. police searched the park thoroughly last year, and you've got to assume that cadaver dogs were a part of that process. Additionally, if you assume that Chandra was buried there last May, wouldn't dogs or human searchers still detect the smell of a decomposing body recently buried in a shallow grave? It will be very interesting to see what "other" fibers turn up on her clothing.

One more point worth considering: Drudge is currently trumpted his exclusive on police questioning a "park stalker" in connection with Chandra's death. This man is currently in jail for attacking two other female joggers in the park. I'll defer to the investigator/law enforcement types on the board, but wouldn't it be a little out of character for a stalker to bury his victim after killing her? In most cases of that type, the body is simply left in the open. It's also worth remembering that Chandra had visited the web site for the park just before she disappeared. She had been to the park before, so I don't think she'd be visiting its web site if she was only going there to jog. Someone summoned her to a specific location in the park, you've got to believe that person is connected to Gary Condit...

[crystalk]

Probably it was not true turtles, but tortoises such as the Maryland land terrapin, that were being looked for in the way that birders look for birds.

The dog was ranging all over and alerted his owner to something way up on a bluffy hill, well above anything the owner was looking for or at, and in fact near the Broad Branch Rd that runs along the edge of the bluff top.

[Kathleen]

But how common is for the jogger to have looked at Web sites specifically about an area immmediately before being randomly snached and murdered there?

Not very common at all. Maybe Chandra felt that things were going terribly wrong and wanted to leave a clue as to her whereabouts.

This is also why the Rock Creek predator theory won't fly.

[Japedo]

Okay, Perhaps I misheard.. I swear the guy on Fox news said it was spread out and it was in total 30%, I take your word for it...My Mistake, I apologize.

[browardchad]

And who in their right mind would go for an 8 mi jog in a metro area without a cell phone?

Good point. And if you're a young woman alone in a dangerous city, and going to an isolated area of a park, when would you not carry a cell phone? When you are meeting the one person who you would be most likely to call -- your lover. Perhaps your lover has told you this has to be a "secret" meeting, since his wife is in town, and might be having him followed, so he tells you to dress as if you're going jogging...no one saw her leave the building, and no one saw her getting into a car -- but she probably did get a ride, somewhere along the way to that spot in the park -- her last ride.

[ironman]

Not decomposed but eaten. Lots of critters in the area including fox, racoons, rats, birds, etc. After animals chewed up the body it's gonna be hard to determine cause of death. God rest her soul.

[archy]

From what I've read cadaver dogs are expensive to train & keep. They're not as common as narcotic dogs. It's just not the dog but the handler's training & their salaries as well.

So it begs the question: is it finacially feasible for any municipality to pay for cadaver teams from other parts of the country for 1 missing person? Would you be willing to pay more taxes for this service?

In addition to initial purchase, which can easily run several thousand dollars, the primary expense for maintaining a certification as a cadaver search team is the recurrent training, with initial and inservice training courses ranging in costs from several hundred to a few thousand dollars apiece, with three to six courses and evaluations per year being common, more for those involved in water search and recovery operations, confined space and collapsed structure search, and maintaining other tracking and trailing ground search certifications as well.

Transportation and local housing can be additional field operating expenses, though many airlines offer sizable discounts for en-route K9 search team members and their dogs, and the USAF Auxialiary [CAP] will fly us to searches beyond a 4-hour drive when a human life is at stake with a possibility of a live *find and save.*

But we NEVER charged a government agency or municipality for our efforts, though offers of on-scene quarters, meals [food and water for the dogs are usually carried to the scene] and local transportation are both helpful and welcomed. And there are several VERY qualified cadaver search units available in the immediate vicinity of the District of Columbia; in Virginia, in particular. Information on the National Association for Search And Rescue [NASAR] *here*.

Information on the NASAR K9 section *here. To answer your question about the cost to taxpayers of using nearby available cadaver search teams assist in the Chandra Levy search, or any other. It wouldn't have cost them so much as one nickel.

Virginia K9 Search resources *here*

-archy-/-

[archy]

What I wanna know is what the hell happened to the body to get it to the point that they only found skeletal remains? Hell I'm no mortician but I doubt it'd take a year for a body to decompose to that point.

And whoever dumped the body has to be the biggest idiot walking God's green earth to leave an intact skull for the authorities to lift an identity from dental records.

Not decomposed but eaten. Lots of critters in the area including fox, racoons, rats, birds, etc. After animals chewed up the body it's gonna be hard to determine cause of death. God rest her soul.

Also freeze/thaw cycles, probably in a shaded area relatively free from breezes, which will speed decomposition and putrification, and also attracting more scavengers, both insect and animal to the scene.

Had she been in an enclosed container or vehicle trunk, I'd have expected advanced mummification. But skeletal remains after a year's outdoor exposure, usually with the biones somewhat scattered or at least seperated, is not uncommon.

-archy-/-

[archy]

Good point. And if you're a young woman alone in a dangerous city, and going to an isolated area of a park, when would you not carry a cell phone? -archy-/-

[Mad-Margaret]

If this guy and his dog are hunting turtles, what are they doing on the steep part of a hill. Turtles are found in lower areas near creeks.

Also who made the decision not to search some parts of that park? And who made the decision not to search that particular part of the Park?

You raise some good points --- where is the owner and his dog. They should have been interviewed by now and be enjoying their 35 minutes of fame.

Exactly! My first thought was : "Turtles?" Just doesn't ring true.

[crystalk]

I have also investigated. I believe that ALL parks and Green Space do occupy about 30% of the area of the District, but Rock Creek Park, even with the more newly added area to the north etc...would be at the very most some 6 or 7% of the whole area of DC.

That said, it is the city's largest park, including the zoo, a golf course, etc.

[ARCADIA]

In most cases of that type, the body is simply left in the open.

The Washington Post is reporting that the body had not been buried, but left out in the open. It was covered with leaves and other debris. This could happen with the passage of time.

It's also worth remembering that Chandra had visited the web site for the park just before she disappeared. She had been to the park before, so I don't think she'd be visiting its web site if she was only going there to jog. Someone summoned her to a specific location in the park ...

I agree that the visit to the web site indicates going someplace specific, to meet someone, pick up something. Rather than a random jog.