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The Water Tank
It’s mid February 2013, and we’re at The Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. It’s not the cleanest or fanciest place — in fact, it’s just plain dirty compared to your average Holiday Inn. But even though the rough old establishment has seen better days, the guests still hold it to some standards.
The Victim
Elisa Lam was a 21-year-old Canadian student with a love of literature and art. Her parents were immigrants from Hong Kong, who owned a successful restaurant in a town to the east of Vancouver.
The Video
Her parents were worried sick, so they called the Los Angeles police later that day, who discovered Elisa hadn’t shown up for checkout at the hotel. They began to investigate the case as a disappearance, and brought in dogs to search the premises, even heading up to the rooftop without any luck.
History of the Hotel
See, this was no ordinary run down budget inn. The Cecil has a long and troubled past which gained it a reputation for being cursed long before Elisa stepped through the doors.
The Paranormal vs Psychological Explanation
Elisa’s demise was just the latest chapter in a long and troubled history, which eventually caused the hotel to change its name and branding entirely. It’s now just called the Stay on Main Hotel. If you’re at all superstitious be sure to check their reviews for any recent paranormal activity before booking.
The Complications
These are the reasons why this case just refuses to be laid to rest in the unsolved crime community — the gaps which overactive imaginations have filled with all kinds of ideas, some of which may possibly have some truth to them. The first concerns the basic practicalities of accessing the roof at all.
The Media Fallout
Perhaps the most dedicated proponent of the foul play angle is a writer named Jake Anderson, who published an entire book on the case in 2020, called Gone at Midnight. Depending on which side you’re already on, you might find it an incisive piece of investigative journalism, or just another piece of sensationalist exploitation.
