As early as the 1940s, the Los Angeles hotel is said to have played a role in one of the most infamous unsolved criminal cases in history, the murder of the ‘Black Dahlia’. Two serial killers lived here in the 1980s and 1990s. One of them is even said to have committed murder in the hotel. There have also been repeated suicides and unsolved murders in the history of the building, which was built in 1927.
In 2013, the most mysterious case to date occurred with the disappearance of Elisa Lam. The 21-year-old Canadian checked into the hotel, but never checked out. And she is never allowed to leave the accommodation alive again. Elisa Lam practically disappeared into thin air. A video of her shortly before her disappearance circulated online almost two weeks later, bringing the case to worldwide attention.
Elisa Lam traveled through California as a backpacker in early 2013. On January 26, 2013, her journey took her to Los Angeles. On the same day, she checked into the Cecil Hotel. There she initially shared a shared room on the fifth floor of the city center building. However, just a few days after her arrival, she was given a single room on the same floor.
Complaints about Lam’s ‘strange behavior’ had previously piled up at the hotel. It is not known exactly what caused this. But the whole world might soon witness another strange behavior from Lam.
During her trip, Elisa Lam had daily telephone contact with her parents. The last phone call took place on January 31, 2013. That day was also the last time Lam was seen by hotel staff. When her parents didn’t hear from their daughter on February 1, they called the police.
Actually, she wanted to leave that day. However, she never checked out and was suddenly swallowed by the Earth. The police also could not find Elisa Lam. Sniffer dogs were used to search almost the entire hotel up to the roof – with no results. Because there was no reasonable suspicion that a crime had occurred, the police could not search every hotel room.
The search remained fruitless over the next few days. The officials therefore depended on information from the public. Together with Lam’s parents, who have now arrived, they relied on media-effective campaigns such as leaflets and press conferences. A tip from a bookseller was the only lead for the time being.
The woman reported seeing Elisa Lam on January 31. She wanted to go to a bookstore near the hotel to buy gifts for her family. The bookseller reported that she was ‘very sociable, very lively, very friendly’. She didn’t seem strange or scared.
The researchers were left in the dark. In an effort to reach more people, the Los Angeles Police Department posted a video on its website nearly two weeks after Lam’s disappearance. The recordings from a surveillance camera in the hotel elevator are said to be the last known images of the 21-year-old.
The video went around the world. It was quickly spread on YouTube and sparked discussions there. The footage shows Elisa Lam entering the elevator and pressing a few buttons. She then appears to be hiding in the corner of the elevator. She continues to look at the hallway. After almost two minutes she gets out again without having changed floors.
It’s impossible to tell if she was talking to someone in the hallway. In any case, no other person can be seen in the photos. The video has now been viewed more than 34 million times. So far it has not been able to help solve the case. However, sightings by hotel guests in the following days brought new activity to the case.
More and more guests complained to reception. The water pressure in the bathrooms has decreased, the tap water tastes strange and is dirty. It came from water tanks on the roof of Hotel Cecil. Based on the complaints, a technician was sent to the roof to search the water tanks.
On February 19, 2013, he found the body of Elisa Lam in one of the three-meter high tanks. She had been in the water for weeks. Her body was completely undressed. Investigators later found the clothing at the bottom of the tank. The metal lid of the reservoir was closed. It was too heavy for the little woman to lift herself. However, no outside influence could be determined during the autopsy.
The question of how Elisa Lam got to the roof also raised questions. Access to the roof was secured with an alarm and could only be opened with a special key. Although the roof could also be reached via the fire escape, researchers consider it unlikely that Elisa Lam could have done this unnoticed.
The toxicological findings also provided no new explanations. Drug or alcohol use – which was often speculated – could be ruled out. However, according to her sister, Elisa Lam suffered from bipolar disorder and was taking various medications to treat it. She reportedly took them off before her death. However, it is unclear whether the 21-year-old was experiencing a manic episode at the time of her death.
Elisa Lam maintained several blogs, including one on the Tumblr platform. Six months after her death, the blog suddenly became active again. It could not be clarified whether someone had hacked her account or whether Elisa Lam herself had used the queuing feature, which allows messages to be scheduled in advance, before her death.
The Los Angeles Police Department ruled Elisa Lam’s death an accident. The official cause of death is drowning. The case is still considered a phenomenon on the Internet. The mystery has also been picked up again and again in film and television, most recently in the 2021 Netflix documentary ‘Disappeared – Tatort Cecil Hotel’. Hotel Cecil is now called ‘Stay on Main’ and can still be booked as a hostel.
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Source: Blick
I am Ross William, a passionate and experienced news writer with more than four years of experience in the writing industry. I have been working as an author for 24 Instant News Reporters covering the Trending section. With a keen eye for detail, I am able to find stories that capture people’s interest and help them stay informed.
