CA/Canada - Elisa Lam - 21 years old - Los Angeles/Vancouver - 31-Jan-2013 - #2

[kenmore]

read on a post on another sites forum that 1 of EL tweet was quote "speakeasy". google speakeasy los angeles and it leads to this bar and I think it may not be far from the Cecil Hotel http://www.yelp.ca/biz/the-varnish-los-angeles-2

According to Elisa's Tumblr, she was in San Diego on Jan. 27, the day of the "Speakeasy" posts on both Tumblr and Twitter. I'm thinking she was referring to this place in the San Diego Gaslamp District: http://gaslampspeakeasy.com

I seriously doubt Elisa left her hotel at night in downtown L.A., at least not by herself. The surrounding neighborhood is very sketchy, and I'm sure she was spooked (and maybe even pushed towards a psychotic break?) during daytime hours by its signature uber-aggressive panhandlers. I know the most harrowing half-block walk of my life occurred at dusk, outside The Standard Hotel in the same neighborhood. I parked my car on the back side of the building, and had to walk around the front to get to it. The minute I stepped outside the lobby, a scraggly, crazy-eyed Skid Row resident literally got in my face and wouldn't leave until I left the sidewalk and entered the fenced-in parking area. I've encountered my share of street life, but this was by far the most frightening experience I've ever had. There was no doubt in my mind this guy had nothing to lose, and probably didn't have the mental faculties to realize it even if he did have something to lose. Downtown L.A. is heavily populated by such outcasts and untreated mentally ill. The California government can't afford to care for a fraction of the mentally ill who populate the state, and many authorities from surrounding counties routinely drive to Skid Row to literally dump people that they have no room or resources or interest to care for. It is undoubtedly one of the least safe places in America. Just look at two of the people who popped up in the first thread--the bookstore owner who encountered Elisa and talked to the media about it, and the wild-haired (OK, that's an understatement) reporter who is "on the case" via Youtube. Both men live in the neighborhood, and both are convicted sex offenders. Lovely locals Elisa could have turned to in a dire situation, for sure.

 

[DR006]

It makes sense to me that Elisa could have chosen to stay at "Stay". They do seem to be catering to the traveling student or young adult, and if you're just looking at their website it does appear to be a nice, modern-style place with a lot of amenities for a good price. Elisa was a bright girl, clearly very internet savvy. I see why this hotel may have been appealing but I have a hard time believing she didn't come across all of the bad reviews. It's understandable that she might have taken the risk I guess.. she obviously didn't have any way to see things happening as they did.

She was supposed to be there from the 27-31 right? I found this "Online Special" on their website, for 3 nights get the 4th night free (http://www.stayonmain.com/default.aspx?pg=specials). That easily could've been the selling point for her, a traveling student presumably on some sort of budget. Not very helpful, but might give some insight into why she did decide to stay there.

I read a post a while back about someone questioning if they had a service floor (?) not accessible by guests..that seems to be the 13th floor for this hotel, in case that hasn't been mentioned yet.

 

[ceefry23]

Hey Turk you're doing some great work here thank you.

Have we talked about the fact that it was her last night in that hotel and perhaps the perp knew that? Meaning she was possibly targeted and harassed for days before hand. If such was the case it would explain her behavior. She's clearly hiding from someone. Is that someone a person who she's been seeing follow her for a few days? Did she see them again on that floor just before entering the elevator and thought **** not this guy again. It would make sense bcos she acts as if she might know the person but also shows fear and worry regarding encountering this person.

 

[CuriousB]

I'm afraid I have another outside-the-box idea. What if she thought that she was entering some code in the elevator? For example, could be a door code:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002PETZNM"]Amazon.com: Averen Radio Frequency Touchpad Deadbolt Entry Door Lock (Satin Nickel Finish): Home Improvement@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Py%2BGJFBqL.@@AMEPARAM@@41Py%2BGJFBqL[/ame]

Maybe she was sleepwalking/hallucinating and remembering some combination from somewhere. That's why she did not touch any of the other keys. And she kept pressing them in the same order. Or maybe she was told by somebody at the hotel that some elevator button combination would give some effect, like allow roof access or something.

If she was really trying to get somewhere in that elevator she would have pressed the Door Close button. And it really looks like she only pressed buttons in the middle column.

 

[DR006]

According to Elisa's Tumblr, she was in San Diego on Jan. 27, the day of the "Speakeasy" posts on both Tumblr and Twitter. I'm thinking she was referring to this place in the San Diego Gaslamp District: http://gaslampspeakeasy.com

I just posted something about that tweet about the same time as you, but I thought she was in LA. I just realized that she did say she was going to be in SD until the 27th and the tweet was posted around midnight on the 27th, so she would have been in SD. Thanks for clearing this up for me

 

[Turk February]

Hey Turk you're doing some great work here thank you.

Have we talked about the fact that it was her last night in that hotel and perhaps the perp knew that? Meaning she was possibly targeted and harassed for days before hand. If such was the case it would explain her behavior. She's clearly hiding from someone. Is that someone a person who she's been seeing follow her for a few days? Did she see them again on that fl

I was well aware of that actually while posting on the youtube video section days ago.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TjVBpyTeZM"]Elisa Lam Video - YouTube[/ame]

This CCTV recording reportedly was either recorded in the wee hours of Jan.31st approaching midnight onto February 1st.


Elisa was reported to be last seen physically by herself on Jan.31 in the ground floor lobby by a hostess and desk clerk.

She was also suppose to meet with the desk clerk at the lobby on Feb.1st to check out her belongings, sign-out, and then leave the hotel after. She never made it obviously, and then the desk clerk called the LAPD to help search for Elisa while they confiscated her belongings in her hotel room on the fourth floor.


I'm curious about her cell phone though, and why one of the people working at Cecil Hotel offered a strange brief response when it was brought up, not wanting to discuss about it, or its contents.



I don't believe Elisa was ever hiding from somebody when she first entered the elevator. It was only apparent when she was oblivious to her pressing the DOOR HOLD button on the elevator and then thinking to herself that there was a stranger outside the elevator keeping the doors from closing, which prompted her to lunge out the elevator quickly, back up and then slowly hide in the corner in the hotel because she was scared after seeing nobody out in the halls.



Now just a reminder, who do you think is monitoring the CCTV cameras all around the hotel at night, especially the CCTV camera inside the elevator Elisa Lam was in?

The security guards. It was probably the same people who she was talking to in the video.

 

[margarita25]

I found a type of resource for roof top water tanks. Apparently, people can enter the tanks to clean them.

http://cooperator.com/articles/202/1/Rooftop-Water-Tanks/Page1.html

Great link, thank you.

 

[bessie]

MOD NOTE: I'm going to re-open the thread now but with a stern warning about sleuthing innocent third parties. Unless an individual has been named a POI, s/he is off limits for sleuthing. No linking to FB, tumbler twitter, etc., etc., and by no means, no posting of names and images.

Regarding Elisa's social media pages, you can link to them and comment about her posts. However, please do not copy and paste them here.

Social Networks

Regarding Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and other social networking or blog websites: Links may be used to direct posters to view something on a social networking page. But postings on social networking sites are not considered fact; they are rumor. Copying and pasting, or taking screen caps, directly from these pages is not allowed. Paraphrasing is okay. (Exception: If the Twitter or Facebook post belongs to a verified news station, it may be copied. But a link should still be provided.)

Also, social networking pages may only be linked if they are directly related to a case, i.e. the victim or suspect. We don't want to post to someone's mother, brother, employer, milkman, or postal carrier just because they know the main player. We also NEVER link to minor's pages (unless they are the victim). And be sure that the page actually belongs to the person being discussed. Do not link to someone if you are not 100% sure it is the correct person. And if a social networking is set to private and you get in the back way, you may not post what you find. Private means private!

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8364858#post8364858

Regarding images, once again, please make sure images you post are under 800 pixels wide. Wider images blow the margins.

Otherwise, the sleuthing has been great. Keep up the good work.

Thank you!

 

[californiared3]

The Chinese media is covering this much more than the Western counterparts.

Here is the water tower....inside....after the body was removed....

http://matchbin-assets.s3.amazonaws...assets/1361522177320201302220032556_46318.jpg

More graffiti images of the water tower...a better perspective:

http://matchbin-assets.s3.amazonaws...assets/1361522179123201302220032567_46318.jpg

Courtesy of Chinese newspaper World Journal: http://www.worldjournal.com/view/full_news/21788016/article-藍可兒命案-酒店四水塔-頂蓋都未蓋?instance=hota

It appears from the interview on Chinese television, for those that understand Cantonese, Elisa does have a blog...and would update their friends on it.

http://www.ktsf.com/friend-of-elisa-lam-thinks-lam-was-drugged/

A bit OT, but just it seems a lot of strange coincidences like the LAM Elisa test, FYI......Elisa's Chinese name is 藍可兒 and while "藍" is her surname literally meaning the colour blue, "可兒" makes the same pronunciation as "suspicious". This is certainly suspicious.

 

[ceefry23]

The other thought I had was this was simply a Robbery gone wrong. It doesn't explain why she was found in such an obscure place though. I wouldn't put it past criminals to target students in this hotel.

What makes me think this is the guy who reported hearing loud ruckus on the fourth floor the night Elisa was last seen. If she is indeed on the 14th floor in the video, why bring her back To the the fourth floor? If someone attacked her before the video why would she not head for the ground floor like any other sane person? IMO the attacker might have taken her to her room to finish robbing her fully, at which point she tried to run maybe and the perp broke her neck.

A broken neck would explain why they can't call it foul play just yet. It seems a broken neck would be clean (no serious markings) but also could be caused by falling into the tank head first.

Do I make sense? Just suggesting she was originally targeted for a robbery, tried to escape and in an insuing battle had her neck broken.

Just throwing out ideas.

Another thought I had was regarding the tb outbreak in downtown LA. Perhaps the intention was to poison the water supply all along and the suspect just needed a victim? Possibly due to a grudge with the hotel or even the lower class that stay there?

 

[Robert White]

Have we talked about the fact that it was her last night in that hotel and perhaps the perp knew that? Meaning she was possibly targeted and harassed for days before hand. If such was the case it would explain her behavior. She's clearly hiding from someone. Is that someone a person who she's been seeing follow her for a few days? Did she see them again on that floor just before entering the elevator and thought **** not this guy again. It would make sense bcos she acts as if she might know the person but also shows fear and worry regarding encountering this person.

Snipped for context, thank you.

If we are to assume this was the case, and we are also assuming that she was not suffering from a mental break or drugs, then why wouldn't she have (1) reported this behaviour to hotel staff/security, (2) spoke of it to her family, who by all accounts were in touch with her, and (3) move to a different hotel?

 

[Turk February]

MOD NOTE: I'm going to re-open the thread now but with a stern warning about sleuthing innocent third parties. Unless an individual has been named a POI, s/he is off limits for sleuthing. No linking to FB, tumbler twitter, etc., etc., and by no means, no posting of names and images.

Regarding Elisa's social media pages, you can link to them and comment about her posts. However, please do not copy and paste them here.

Yep. Thank you.


Still chuckling to myself how I mixed up a Double Bass instrument for a Electric bass.

Although, I really do want to dig up more info on that Speakeasy club Elisa Lam last twittered on her account, this late January before she vanished 3-4 days after...


Suspenders...bowties....

"SPEAKEASY" - L.L ‏@lambetes (Tweeted Jan.27, 2013)

https://twitter.com/lambetes

Something is fishy here.

 

[Turk February]

I truly think it's information you should share with law enforcement in Los Angeles.

Well, I can share this -

Anyone with information regarding Lam’s disappearance is asked to call Detectives Tennelle or Stearns at RHD’s Homicide Special Section at 213-486-6890. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Tipsters may also go to www.lapdonline.org, and click on "Anonymous Web Tips.”

http://www.lapdblog.org/

 

[ceefry23]

Snipped for context, thank you.

If we are to assume this was the case, and we are also assuming that she was not suffering from a mental break or drugs, then why wouldn't she have (1) reported this behaviour to hotel staff/security, (2) spoke of it to her family, who by all accounts were in touch with her, and (3) move to a different hotel?

She does mention on one of her social media posts that some guys there are coming on strong. To me I wouldn't want to sound crazy but hell who knows maybe she did mention something to her family? Such as "there's a creepy guy I see following me everywhere" "it's probably nothin dont worry about it" type deal.

A lot of her behavior suggests she is playing cool. Not wanting to appear crazy.

 

[DR006]

Could someone please remind me when she wrote about her phone being misplaced? Thanks

 

[ceefry23]

Furthermore in my experiences where I've been terrified Ive acted the same way. You want to run and scream but at the same time don't want to look crazy.

 

[ceefry23]

Could someone please remind me when she wrote about her phone being misplaced? Thanks

Did she mention that?? I haven't seen any such post and am really convinced her phone was found to be the blockage that caused flooding, logical explanation for why no one wants to talk about it

 

[margarita25]

Stay At Main
636 S Main, Los Angeles
http://www.tnetnoc.com/hotelimages/715/286715/2631759-Stay-on-Main-Hotel-Exterior-5.jpg

[B]http://www.stayonmain.com/default.aspx?pg=home[/B]

http://www.booking.com/hotel/us/sta...d=1;checkin=2013-04-15;interval=15&lang=en-gb

http://www.yelp.com/biz/stay-on-main-los-angeles

"Stay on Main is youthful, high-style, and high-tech. our rooms are simple stylish and inexpensive. We offer convenient accommodations for the hip and spend thrifty traveler.
In-the-know 18-30 year old international travelers and domestic travelers looking for modern, upscale accommodations on a budget will appreciate our variety of room types and options.

Complimentary continental breakfast
Complimentary wifi in public areas and the 6th floor lounge
Complimentary iMacs on lobby mezzanine level
Marty coffee house serving specialty coffee, pastries, sandwiches and salads
Xbox games available for use
Flat screen TVs in all rooms
iPod docking stations in all rooms
Community lounge with 42" plasma screen and foosball table
Community kitchenette on 5th floor
Dual line telephones with voicemail
24 hour self laundry
Rentable lockers

Could she have met someone at any of these locations?

 

[Robert White]

The other thought I had was this was simply a Robbery gone wrong. It doesn't explain why she was found in such an obscure place though. I wouldn't put it past criminals to target students in this hotel.

What makes me think this is the guy who reported hearing loud ruckus on the fourth floor the night Elisa was last seen. If she is indeed on the 14th floor in the video, why bring her back To the the fourth floor? If someone attacked her before the video why would she not head for the ground floor like any other sane person? IMO the attacker might have taken her to her room to finish robbing her fully, at which point she tried to run maybe and the perp broke her neck.

A broken neck would explain why they can't call it foul play just yet. It seems a broken neck would be clean (no serious markings) but also could be caused by falling into the tank head first.

Do I make sense? Just suggesting she was originally targeted for a robbery, tried to escape and in an insuing battle had her neck broken.

Just throwing out ideas.

Another thought I had was regarding the tb outbreak in downtown LA. Perhaps the intention was to poison the water supply all along and the suspect just needed a victim? Possibly due to a grudge with the hotel or even the lower class that stay there?

I can only base this off my professional training and scenario running, but let me know what you think. She enters the elevator multiple times. Meaning there is a weak control link if we are assuming your perp is outside. Without a weapon, it becomes even less so, and I would argue that if he/she did not have a weapon, that individual would have had to go in the elevator to remove her. Highly unlikely you could get any compliance without a weapon.

Okay fast forward. Let's say he/she had a weapon, and forced her out at 2:28 (despite her entering in and out). He/she kills Elisa in a room. Why not use the weapon? Breaking a neck is extremely hard unless you have CQB training, and even then, its not an easy task. I would argue my CQB is far above normal level, but I doubt I could do it effectively. Most civilians without a weapon would choke in my view. But let's say her neck broke. It would have to have been one hell of an impact. But yes, there are freak impacts that will severe the spinal cord.

Breaking her neck in the cistern is unlikely unless she dove head first, but given the size of the opening, body wouldn't have fallen in anyways. Tank was an estimated 3/4 full, and at an estimated ten feet, your not reaching the bottom at that dive level.

Anyways, let me know what you think!

 

[hopeitcanhelp]

There is that video of some people fooling around on the roof of the hotel. So it's possible she was invited on the roof to hangout (great view, drinking, etc.), but was killed there and put in the tank. Much more likely than being killed elsewhere and brought on the roof. Although if the elevator video is from late on the 31st, it would have had to have happened on that night.

She might have fallen from an elevated spot on the roof, and broke her neck, after someone did something to her there (sexual harassment/etc.). They then decided to hide the body in the tank?

As for the noise potentially in her room, it could be someone who took her keys and went in the room, searching for all her stuff to steal.