The Death of Elisa Lam By Erika Flores

         

           On February 13, 2013 the guests at the Cecil Hotel started to complain about the water having an unsettling taste, a muddy color and an indescribable smell. After many complaints the hotel sent maintenance to check the water tank. The blooded, naked body of Elisa Lam was found inside a locked water tank, located on the rooftop of the Cecil Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. To this day, nobody knows for sure what caused her death or how her body got up there. Although the disturbing death of Elisa Lam was ruled an accidental drowning, due to her mysterious death caused multiple conspiracy theories to come about how she died.

Elisa Lam, age 21 was a college student at the University of British Colombia in Vancouver Canada (Lawson 1). She was a good person. However, it was well known that she struggled with a mental illness. That required her to be under several medications for the rest of her life. Her depression would get so bad she had to drop several classes the previous semester (“Archive”). She started using her Tumblr as her online journal (1). She would go in-depth about how hopeless she felt and the struggles of having depression. Seeing the best life had to offer was challenging but she knew there was more. Despite her struggles, she also had a passion for art, poetry, fashion, and she often posted reminders on why not everything can always bad (1). One of her last posts said;

I had a catch-up reunion with high school people and a sort of bon voyage soiree and I’m fatigued/ exhausted/ in recovery for seeing so many people and doing so many stupid idiotic things in the last 4 days. But I am so very full of… I suppose the term would be, as Dumbledore says, love because last night was evidence that I do have amazing beautiful things in my life and even though everyone is busy and going off doing great things they do care about me. I’m not a profession depressed person. I am so much more than that and these people are my reminder that I am very lucky. Life is long and difficult, but it is worth it so long as you have special moments. So, what if everything is shit and plants have gone to hell. If I ask for help, someone might be willing to spare a hand. Thank you, friends and family. (1)

 Shortly after this, Elisa started posting more optimistically. Elisa was fighting her illness, everything she would post seem like it was a reminder to herself to not let her illness win. In January 2013 she posted she would be taking a solo trip through the west coast, San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco (1). She never made it past Los Angeles.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Her parents were not concern with Elisa taking this trip because she was in contact with them at all time but after a few days of Elisa not checking in, they decided to get in contact with the LAPD as this was not her normal behavior. They went to the media to alert people with what was going on and asked for anyone to come forward if knew any information. With no luck, the officers decided to release the bizarre video of Elisa’s last moments alive. The strange video of Elisa had caught the public’s attention and speculation about what may have happened started to take over the internet. A variety of theories about the tragedy, involving anything from suicide, murder, and conspiracies of evil spirits started to surface everywhere.    

One of the conspiracy theories was Elisa was possessed by the evil spirits in the hotel. The Cecil Hotel which was known for its unusual past. When it first opened in the 1920s and it was a major hot spot known for having some of the richest guests (Murtaugh 1). Shortly after it opened, they had to adjust it become a low-cost hotel. It had become a worn-down hotel in a worn-down area tracking prostitute addicts and low-income people. Throughout the years, the hotel became known for the multiple deaths from unnatural causes, accidents, murders, or suicides it was so well known for all the horrible acts that you now can ride a tour bus to go visit and hear about the hotels history. It is believed one or several of the victims’ souls are trapped and haunting the living guests in the hotel. The oldest case know of is Helen Gurnee in 1954 next in line was Julia Moore in 1962 and after them Pauline cotton in 1962 they all jumped from upper-level windows. When Pauline jumped out of the hotel she landed on and took the life of a woman passing by (1). A jane doe in 1975 that either jumped or got pushed out of a window of the hotel, it is still unsolved (1). The hotel had not one but two serial killers call this place their home where they would bring women in to kill them, in 1985 Richard Ramirez also known as the “Nightstalker” and in 1991 Jack Unterweger who had a criminal record for doing this before (1). With this dark past, it is obvious some would believe what happened  to Elisa lam was an act of witchcraft  

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Another conspiracy theory about Elisa Lam’s death was a result of the elevator game. The hotel video where Elisa is seen frantically pushing all the buttons in the elevator and talking to what we can only assume is herself plays a major key in the theory about a game that takes you to another dimension. The game was created in Korea. The rules are you must be in a 10+ story building and the elevator alone. If someone is in the elevator with you, it won't work. 1. Get on the elevator on the 1st floor. 2. Press 4 and when you reach the 4th floor, don't get out and press 2. 3. When you reach the 2nd floor, press 6. 4. When you reach the 6th floor, press 2. 5. When you reach the 2nd floor, press10. 6.when you reach the 10th floor, press 5. 7.when you reach the 5th floor, a woman will come in. that woman is not human. Don’t talk or look at her. If you do, she will take you away. 8 press 1, and if the elevator instead starts going up to the 10th floor, then you have succeeded. You will have reached another world where there is no one except you. 9. If you get off at the 10th floor, the girl will ask, “where are you going?” but don’t answer (“Elevator Game”). There are rules in the elevator game to return but, in this case, the player died. The reason why people believe she was playing the game is because she was seen scared pressing multiple buttons, hiding and the elevator doors would not close. It is assumed she broke rule number 7, she was not supposed to talk to the the woman-like figure, however she did, so the demon-woman killed her.

Many others believe Elisa was murdered by a worker at the hotel, the plot behind this is that someone that worked at the hotel did it. This person would have access to the cameras, keys, and they would have known that she was alone, and what days she was going to check out. Where to stand to not be seen, and what times would be the most appropriate to talk to her without witnesses being around. Whoever this theory was debunked by the police there was no evidence of foul play or any reason to believe she was with someone that night.

The most believed theory talks about how Elisa stopped taking her mediation and lost it. she had been posting about how much she was enjoying herself, so she could have possibly believed she had it under control. She was under 4 different psychotic medication for her bipolar disorder her medication was Wellbutrin, Effexor, Lamictal, Seroquel, and Dexedrine (Hammett 1). However, in her autopsy, they couldn’t find any trace of her medication in her system. Her being off her medication could have caused her to hallucinate and become depressed all over again, which is common for people that had her condition. So, in the elevator, she would have believed someone was following her which would explain her bizarre behavior. During her last few moments, nobody knows what could have been going through her mind. What could have let her to jump inside that small open door at the top of the water tank?

Although her case was ruled as an “accidental drowning,” in June 2013 (Mikkelson 1). the strange details of Lam’s case have fueled an extensive amount of questions. An many to disagree on what may have happened to the girl found in the water tank. The mystery behind the death of Elisa Lam remains hounding us till this day, the public is not happy with the official ruling of lams’ death, the LAPD is considering re-open the case.

                                               Works Cited

“Archive.” Nouvelle/Nouveau, nouvelle-nouveau.tumblr.com/archive/filter-by/text.

“Elevator Game.” Quotev.com, 2015, www.quotev.com/story/5215275/Creepy-Stories/10.

Hammett. “The Death of Elisa Lam by Diego Guevara Villatoro.” The Death of Elisa Lam by Diego Guevara Villatoro, 1 Jan. 1970, hammettenglish1301.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-death-of-elisa-lam.html.

Lawson, Camielle. “Oddest Circumstances of Elisa Lam's Confusing Death.” RebelCircus.com, 15 Mar. 2018, www.rebelcircus.com/blog/creepy-circumstances-surrounding-elisa-lams-death/.

Mikkelson, David. “The Strange Death of Elisa Lam.” Snopes.com, www.snopes.com/fact-check/death-of-elisa-lam/.

Murtaugh, Taysha. “This Hotel Has a Terrifying History of Gruesome Deaths.” Country Living, Country Living, 24 Jan. 2018, www.countryliving.com/life/travel/a45235/creepy-history-cecil-hotel-los-angeles/.