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Break in Chandra Levy Case Has Central Coast Connection

2/26/09

ORCUTT - Eight years after her disappearance, police now have a suspect in the death of Washington D.C. intern Chanrda Levy.

Turns out, a university professor who helped officers crack the case grew up here on the Central Coast. Ralph Ioimo graduated from Santa Maria High School. He got his degree in political science at Cal Poly before becoming a police officer back in the 1970's. Ioimo later worked his way up the ranks at the Simi Valley Police Department before getting his doctorate and taking a job as a professor at Auburn University in Alabama.

While teaching a course in crime investigation, he asked his students to look into the cold case of Chandra Levy.

Over the summer they discovered a connection to Salvadoran immigrant, Ingmar Guandique. Ioimo and his students turned their findings over to police.

Ralph's brother, Larry, lives in Orcutt. He says Ralph was always a "take charge" kind of guy. Larry says, "He was always kind of the leader I would say even of his friends around him we always kind of looked up to him. I'm very proud of him."

Officers had questioned Guandique early in the investigation, but he wasn't charged in the Levy case at that time. Guandique is currently serving a 10-year-sentence for assaulting two women in the same park where Levy's remains were found.