039 - The Mysterious Death of Elisa Lam

Trace Evidence

Steven Pacheco

True Crime, Documentary, Society & Culture, History

4.7 • 4.2K Ratings

🗓️ 26 March 2018

⏱️ 98 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Twenty-one year old Elisa Lam decided to take a break from college. She wanted to take a trip, out of Canada and down into the United States to see California. Her trip involved stops in San Diego, Los Angeles and Santa Cruz. Embarking on her trip in January of 2013, Elisa visited San Diego and then went to Los Angeles where she had booked a three day stay in the notorious Cecil Hotel, at that time known as the Stay on Main Street.

She shared a room with two roommates, but was moved after reports of 'odd behavior.' Having maintained contact with her family every day, they grew worried when on January 31st, she failed to call and they couldn't reach her. Elisa was reported missing, and a fervent search began. When no trace of Elisa could be found, police released surveillance footage from an elevator at the Cecil showing Elisa behaving erratically. The video sparked a wide array of theories, and a heated debate about whether Elisa was hiding from someone, or perhaps, on drugs.

Nearly three weeks after she vanished, Elisa's body was discovered inside one of the water tanks on top of the hotel. Guests had complained of foul tasting, discolored water. How Elisa ended up in the water tank and whether or not foul play was involved has sparked controversy ever since. What led to Elisa's death? Theories abound including government cover ups, an urban legend about an elevator game and rumors of a cursed hotel possessing her.

Was it purely an accident, as the autopsy report would state? Did Elisa's mental illness contribute to her death? Did someone murder the young woman and get away with it? Join host Steven Pacheco as he navigates the baffling twists and turns of one of the most confusing and captivating true crime cases ever, examining the haunting question: What happened to Elisa Lam?

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Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/elisa-lam

Transcript

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0:00.0	21-year-old Chinese Canadian citizen, Elisa Lam, wasn't sure what direction her life was
0:15.4	going. Like many her age, standing on the precipice of choosing a career and setting
0:22.2	the rest of her life in motion, she couldn't help but feel that she was at a standstill.
0:28.4	A brilliant young woman, she seemed to have difficulty selecting her path and she was
0:33.5	falling behind in her college curriculum. Her struggle with bipolar disorder and depression
0:40.7	only added to the weight she carried, and in early 2013, she withdrew from her classes
0:48.0	and decided to take a break from everything to go on what she referred to as her West Coast
0:53.8	Tour. The tour would be a trip she would take alone to get out and see a little bit more
1:00.6	of the world. The trip was set to begin in San Diego, California and her last stop would
1:07.2	be Santa Cruz before returning home to Canada. During the trip, she maintained contact with
1:14.8	friends and family, making frequent calls and also posting on social media. Everything
1:22.0	seemed to be going well and she was enjoying her time, telling friends about how much fun
1:27.4	it was and how excited she was every day. On January 26, 2013, Elisa made reservations
1:37.4	for a three-day stay at the famous Cecil Hotel, located in downtown Los Angeles. A hotel
1:45.2	with a dark past, but cheap rates. It was the optimal choice for a student traveling
1:51.0	on her own. Whether or not Elisa was aware of the hotel's checkered history, she arrived
1:58.0	on January 28th and was assigned to a shared room with two others. Shortly after her arrival,
2:05.9	her roommates requested Elisa be moved elsewhere due to what they referred to only as odd behaviors.
2:13.7	Elisa was moved into a private room. On January 31, the day she was meant to check out,
2:22.2	Elisa failed to call home for the first time. Friends didn't hear from her and her social
2:28.4	media posts stopped. Concerned, Elisa's parents contacted the Vancouver police, who put them
2:35.9	in touch with the Los Angeles Police Department and they filed a missing persons report. The
	...

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