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Elisa Lam
Born30 April 1991
Disappeared31 January 2013
Cecil Hotel, Los Angeles, California
StatusFound dead
DiedFebruary 1, 2013(2013-02-01) (aged 21)
Rooftop water tank at Cecil Hotel
Cause of deathAccidental drowning
Body discovered19 February 2013
NationalityChinese Canadian

Elisa Lam (30 April 1991  – 1 February 2013) was a Chinese Canadian student tourist from Vancouver, British Columbia, who disappeared under bizarre circumstances and was subsequently found dead in a rooftop water tank at the infamous Cecil Hotel near Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles, where she had been vacationing.[1][2] The roof was secured with an alarm and lock, according to LAPD detectives, and it is unclear how Lam gained access.[3] Lam's body was discovered on 19 February.

Disappearance

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Lam arrived by herself in Los Angeles for a holiday trip on 26 January 2013, and booked a room at the Cecil Hotel, already notorious for having a checkered past.[4] Partly due to the bizarre surveillance video released, the story of Lam's disappearance received mainstream international media attention, even before the discovery of her body.[5][6] Lam had been in daily telephone contact with her parents in Canada, which ceased after 31 January.[7]

Hotel

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Main article: Cecil Hotel (Los Angeles)

The Cecil's notorious past played a large role in the media coverage of Lam's disappearance. The hotel had been a suicide hotspot during the 1950s and 60s. In a particularly gruesome 1962 incident, 27-year-old Pauline Otton threw herself to her death from a ninth-floor window, and landed on pedestrian George Gianinni, 65, on the street below, killing him. In 1964, Goldie Osgood, known for feeding pigeons in nearby Pershing Square, was found strangled in her hotel room; her killer never found.[8]

The Cecil later unwittingly housed and served as a base of operation for two active serial killers: 'Night Stalker' Richard Ramirez resided there from 1984 –85, during the bulk of his murders. Austrian serial killer Jack Unterweger also stayed at the hotel for five weeks in 1991, murdering three prostitutes in his room.[9] Elizabeth Short, the famed "Black Dahlia" murder victim, is reported in at least one book to have been staying at the Cecil at the time she was killed, although Los Angeles historians have dismissed this claim as unfounded.[10]

Surveillance footage

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Elevator surveillance video at the hotel captured the last known footage of Lam on 31 January. In the four-minute video released by LAPD, Lam, wearing a red zip-up hoodie and black gym shorts, is shown interacting oddly with the elevator, which may have incidentally been malfunctioning at the time. The video begins with Lam inside of the elevator, pushing nearly all of the floor buttons frantically. She proceeds to exit and re-enter the elevator car several times, peering into the hallway, and at one point making animated "petting" gestures with her hands, all while the doors remain inexplicably open. Lam is also seen ducking into a corner of the elevator, out of view of the hallway. The footage ends with the elevator finally closing and resuming normal operation without Lam, stopping at several consecutive floors for the buttons Lam had pressed. No person other than Lam is visible in the video.[11][5]

Speculation and conspiracy theories

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The coverage of Lam's death triggered widespread Internet speculation, attempting to account for her odd behavior on the security footage.[6] One suggestion was that Lam was trying to get the elevator car to move in order to escape from someone pursuing her. Others believed Lam had ingested conscious-altering drugs, willfully or otherwise. It was suggested that a mixed "Ecstasy" preparation containing MDMA in addition to high amounts of various hallucinogenic research chemicals could result in such behavior.[12]

Conspiracy theorists additionally noted that a new test for tuberculosis, of which there was an outbreak in Los Angeles at the time, was dubbed LAM-ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay).[13][12]

Despite these theories, an autopsy turned up no signs of foul play, and toxicology tests eventually eliminated drugs as an explanation. Coroners ultimately ruled Lam's death as "accidental due to drowning", also noting bipolar disorder as a significant condition.[14]

Discovery of body

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Lam's body was discovered on 19 February by a maintenance worker investigating complaints of foul-tasting water and low water flow from the guests. One long-term guest stated that there had been flooding on an upper-level room following Lam's disappearance.[1] Lam's body was found decomposing in one of four water cisterns, located on platforms three meters above the roof of the Hotel, nearly three weeks after she was last seen.[15] Residents of the hotel were asked to vacate the premises and warned not to use the hotel's water following the discovery of the body.[16]

Similarities to existing media

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Many facets of the incident were noted, in media as well as by conspiracy theorists, as bearing striking resemblance to the 2005 horror film Dark Water.[12] The film tells of the disappearance of a young girl whose body is eventually discovered inside of a rooftop apartment water tank. Residents of the apartment report tainted water coming through but cannot determine the source.

Film adaptations

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The odd circumstances surrounding Lam's disappearance and death garnered the attention of filmmakers. Less than a year after her death, a Chinese short film entitled Journey of Elisa Lam was produced. In February 2014, Sony purchased a horror spec script based on Lam's story, entitled The Bringing.[17][18]

References

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  1. ^ a b Anthony Kurzweil (20 February 2013). "Body of Missing Tourist Found in Hotel Water Tank". KTLA. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  2. ^ "Autopsy inconclusive on woman found in hotel water tank: Toxicology tests must be performed on the body of Elisa Lam to help determine if she was taking medication or another substance". Los Angeles Times. 21 February 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2015. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
  3. ^ "Missing Canadian woman's body found at L.A. hotel: Vancouver resident Elisa Lam, last seen at Cecil Hotel, missing since Jan. 31". CBC News. 19 February 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  4. ^ "Woman's body found in water tank of skid row hotel: Authorities say the remains are those of Elisa Lam of Canada, who was last seen at the Cecil Hotel on Jan. 31". Los Angeles Times. 20 February 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2015. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
  5. ^ a b "Video shows B.C. woman missing in L.A. acting strangely: Elisa Lam presses every elevator button, appears to be hiding from someone". CBC News. 14 February 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Elisa Lam's unexplained death draws attention, theories in China". Los Angeles Times. 26 February 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  7. ^ Paula Baker (20 February 2013). "Timeline: The mysterious disappearance of Elisa Lam". Global News. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  8. ^ Leslie Anne Wiggins (26 October 2008). "Tales of the macabre at L.A. hotels". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  9. ^ Alan Duke (23 February 2013). "Hotel with corpse in water tank has notorious past". CNN. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  10. ^ Denise Hamilton (10 December 2007). "Serial Killer Central". LA Observed. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  11. ^ Alan Duke (23 February 2013). "How did woman's body come to be in L.A. hotel water tank?". CNN. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  12. ^ a b c "The mysterious case of Elisa Lam – bizarre behavior caught on video prefaces drowning death in hotel rooftop water tank". Altered Dimensions. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  13. ^ "The Mysterious Case of Elisa Lam". The Vigilant Citizen. 21 October 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  14. ^ "Elisa Lam Death Accidental: LA Coroner". The Huffington Post British Columbia. 20 June 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  15. ^ "Residents disgusted after woman's body found in hotel water tank". 19 February 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  16. ^ "Questions surround B.C. woman's death at L.A. hotel". CBC News. 20 February 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  17. ^ Borys Kit (27 February 2014). "Sony Picks Up Horror Spec 'The Bringing'". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  18. ^ "Elisa Lam Movie 'The Bringing' Based On Her Death". The Huffington Post British Columbia. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
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