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Elisa Lam traveled to Los Angeles from her hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia, in January 2013 for a week of sightseeing and adventure. But things soon took a mysterious — and deadly — turn. After checking into the Cecil Hotel, the 21-year-old tourist vanished without a trace.
Then, on February 19, 2013, a hotel maintenance worker made a grisly discovery when he found Lam’s body inside a water tank on the roof of the hotel.
How Lam died became a subject of intense speculation and conspiracy theories. Much of that rumor centered on elevator surveillance video, released by police, of Lam’s odd behavior hours before her disappearance. The video shows her, clad in a red hoodie, inside an elevator pushing buttons for multiple floors, peering out of the opened elevator and cautiously stepping out while waving her arms.
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But the mystery remains: How did she get onto the locked roof and into the water tank?
Lam’s death is investigated on the Nov. 30 episode of Real Life Nightmare on HLN (8 p.m. ET/PT). The episode, titled “Deadly Hotel Check-In,” interviews insiders with intimate knowledge of the case.
The show focuses on Lam’s strange behavior in the elevator.
“We’re not exactly sure what’s going on,” says one commentator. “She’s pushing buttons, she’s cowering in corners.”
“At one point in the elevator, it looked like maybe she was hiding from someone,” adds forensic psychologist Cheryl Arutt. “She seemed to be hiding in a corner, trying to make herself small and be out of sight if someone were walking by the elevator, and that was one of the moments that was rather odd.”
The show also questions how Lam was able to get into the water tank in the first place — and asks whether she acted alone.
Real Life Nightmare: Deadly Hotel Check-In airs on HLN on Nov. 30 (8 p.m. ET/PT).
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Elise Lam – Death at the Cecil — (Story Maps)
March 2, 2021
Elisa Lam was a 21-year-old Canadian who disappeared on January 31, 2013 while staying at the Hotel Cecil in downtown Los Angeles, California. Elisa is the daughter of two Hong Kong China immigrants to Canada. In 2012, she was a registered student at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC. On January 25th, 2013, she departed Canada enroute to the Los Angeles, California region.
Lam relied upon rail and public transportation for travel. She would have most likely arrived at Los Angeles’ Union Station on the 1-day trip from Vancouver. Reports suggest she arrived on January 26th and secured a reservation for a shared room at the Stay on Main hotel (a shared building with the Hotel Cecil) beginning January 28-31. It is believed that her first overnight stop would have been in San Diego, California.
It appears she stayed in the San Diego region for 2-days, eventually returning to Los Angeles and the Hotel Cecil at 640 S. Main Street, arriving on the 28th.
It is approximately 7-blocks from Union Station to the hotel. She may have walked, used public transportation or took a cab. Lam was probably unaware the hotel was situated in the southwest corner of Skid Row, the largest homeless encampment in the area. Click on the Green, Pink and Blue polygons to get the demographic information for Skid Row. Zoom by clicking link below.
She checked into the hotel and was assigned a shared room with two other females on the 5th floor of the building.
A Question of Mental Stability
2-days after arriving at the Cecil, Lam’s new roommates complained about her odd behavior and she was transferred to a single occupancy room on the 5th floor.
Lam’s roommates at the Hotel Cecil complained about her strange behavior. Their complaints led hotel staff to assign Lam to a single occupancy room on the 5th floor.
According to the coroner’s autopsy report, Lam had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and depression. She was prescribed 4 different medications but appeared to have slowed or stopped taking the medicine before her death. This could explain the bizarre emotional state she appeared to be in. (See video in elevator on the morning of February 1, 2013.) Explore the medications prescribed to Elisa.
Wellbutrin – Bupropion is used to treat major depressive disorder. Side effects include a risk of suicide.
Lamictal – Lamotrigine [Lamictal] is used to treat depressive episodes in bipolar disorder. Side effects include a risk of suicide.
Seroquel – Quetiapine, also known as Seroquel is an atypical antipsycotic medication used for treating schizopenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder.
Effexor – Venlafaxine, also known as Effexor is an antidepressant that is used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, panic disorder and social phobia disorder. Side effects include risk of suicide and mania.
[All these drugs are serotogenic and each individually can caus increased suicidal thinking – SSRI Ed]
Coroner reports Elisa’s same clothing found in the water tank, citing this video dated 2/1/13
According to her family, who supposedly kept her history of mental illness a secret, Lam had no history of suicidal thoughts but social media reports she spoke of suicide on Tumblr in her Novelle-Nouveau posts. There is one report that suggests she had gone missing for a previous period some time earlier.
She was last seen purchasing a book at The Last Stop used bookstore in Los Angeles. The items she purchased were actually delivered by store employees to the hotel.
In a January 2012 blog post on her Blogspot account named Ether Fields, Lam lamented that a relapse at the start of the 2013 school term had forced her to drop several classes, leaving her feeling “so utterly directionless and lost.” She titled her post, “You’re always haunted by the idea you’re wasting your life.”
Reported Missing on February 1, 2013
According to reports, Elisa contacted her parents by phone and text daily. She was scheduled to check out of the hotel on February 1st and travel to Santa Cruz. When her parents didn’t hear from her, they contacted the Los Angeles Police Department and they booked flights to L.A. to help in the search. LAPD immediately issues an attempt to locate.
Elisa Lam is Reported Missing on February 1, 2013
According to reports, Elisa contacted her parents by phone and text daily. She was scheduled to check out of the hotel on February 1st and travel to Santa Cruz. When her parents didn’t hear from her, they contacted the Los Angeles Police Department and they booked flights to L.A. to help in the search. LAPD immediately issues an attempt to locate.
Detectives Looking for Missing Canadian Woman Young Woman’s Disappearance from Downtown Hotel is Suspicious NR13034rf
It is the mission of the LAPD to safeguard the lives and property of the people we serve. To reduce the incidence and fear of crime, and to enhance public safety while working with the diverse communities to improve their quality of life.
Police searched for Lam throughout the hotel, including on the roof. They didn’t look inside the 4-1,000 gallon water tanks on the roof. Hotel staff reported seeing Lam the afternoon before and noted that she was alone.
Katie Orphan, the manager of a nearby bookstore was the only person who recalled seeing her that day. Orphan said Lam was talking about a book she was getting and wondered outloud if it would be to heavy for her to carry around as she traveled.
“She was outgoing, very lively, very friendly” while getting gifts to take home to her family.”
LAPD Sergeant Rudy Lopez later remarked, “But we didn’t search every room… we could only do that if we had probable cause to believe a crime had been committed.”
On February 15th, LAPD released the video of Lam in the elevator. Conspiracy theories exploded as cyber-sleuths around the world began theorizing on the 2-1/2 minute video. Most focused on Lam’s bizarre behavior, the poor quality of the video and the time stamping.
Elisa Lam’s Body is Located on February 19th
During the search for Lam, guests at the hotel began complaining about low water pressure. Some claimed their water was colored black and had an unusual taste.
Body Of Elisa Lam, Canadian Tourist. Found In Los Angeles Hotel’s Water Tank
The body of a Canadian tourist was found in a water tank of a downtown Los Angeles hotel, from which guests had been receiving water for possibly up to three weeks. Authorities have confirmed that the body recovered from one of the four water tanks at the Cecil Hotel Tuesday is that of Elisa Lam, a 21-year-old University of British Columbia student who was reported missing Feb.
Hotel officials sent a maintenance worker to the roof to check the 4-1,000 gallon water tanks. There, Lam’s body was discovered in the northeastern tank, the lid still open.
Autopsy Results Are In 2 Days Later: Accidental Drowning. Toxicology and Final Findings Would Take Months.
Read the entire autopsy report on Elisa Lam‘s death investigation.