CA/Canada - Elisa Lam - 21 years old - Los Angeles/Vancouver - 31-Jan-2013 - #5

[tapu]

Some have suggested she waved her hands in the elevator opening to activate the motion sensors that prevent the doors from closing.

That seems completely plausible to me.

What does not seem plausible to me is to think anyone--amateur, expert, or professional--could watch that video and claim that they can have even a modicum of certainty that Elisa displays any clinical psych condition, or use of any particular (or even general) drug use, or even definitively of any particular mood or mindset.

Lots of things are plausible; certainty or even some certainty is not.

 

[Figuring]

I may have missed this boat long ago, but why no vacation pics from her time in LA? I read she had posted a few from San Diego on Facebook, but are there any other pics? I also thought I read she was keeping a travel blog but have not seen anyone discuss that here?

If anyone has seen the FB pics, were they all self shots?

I wondered the same thing. Some pics on her Instagram from Toronto -- some rooftop views, BTW, but no California. Maybe because of whenever she lost her phone?

http://instagram.com/moulesmariniere

 

[Voiceover]

Hi everyone, My apologies if this has been already brought up. I have not formed an opinion yet. But what are your thoughts about the video after she exits? Notice how the elevator goes to each floor? You do not see it stall on these floors as we did when Elisa was onboard. Could this be because she had stalled the elevator? Was someone else stalling the elevator? Maybe someone who had control of the camera? What are your thoughts? Thank You.

 

[OCSlacker]

I don't know where you're coming from there. That seems like saying it would be odd that two young, small statured, white women died, weeks apart, in L.A. Nothing too unusual about that.

If it's the Asian part that seems unusual to you, well, it's LA. Pacific Rim. There are a million small, young Asian girls. I went to Univ of California and there were times I'd look around a class and it would be, like, 99 small young Asian girls and me.

Yes, I agree that there are many Asian people in this area. That is not really what was odd. The odd point is that for a dead body to be on the beach in Newport that was not washed ashore, shows signs of foul play & that body happens to be that of a small stature Asian woman in her 20's. The fact that this happened in Newport Beach makes it odd. This is not a high crime area at all. As I stated before I truly doubt any connection. I was simply mentioning that a body was found yesterday. There is no real connection between the two events..

At work & using my tablet so can't really get into it at the moment but are you familiar with the area? It's evident from my previous post that I am not capable of doing two things at once, especially while using a tablet that has auto correct.. I reread what showed up in my last post and half of it didn't make sense to me.. : / No wonder you asked ! It deleted so much of what I typed I can understand why you would say that now!

 

[RhiannonR]

Hi everyone, My apologies if this has been already brought up. I have not formed an opinion yet. But what are your thoughts about the video after she exits? Notice how the elevator goes to each floor? You do not see it stall on these floors as we did when Elisa was onboard. Could this be because she had stalled the elevator? Was someone else stalling the elevator? Maybe someone who had control of the camera? What are your thoughts? Thank You.

Motion activated camera?

 

[Borris]

Some were questioning the number of rooms and occupancy. This summary will help to explain the set-up and why it's management must be in limbo. This is the most up-to-date information I could find.

The "New" Cecil Hotel was acquired by new owners in 2007. The prior owners of 2004 attempted to convert it into a "tourist hotel", and the new owners believed that the City had cleared the path to do this. Yet the City continued to label Cecil as a "residential hotel". This label blocked the new owners from renovations. So the New Cecil sued the city in 2008 while constructing the "Stay on Main" tourist hotel.

Unfortunately the "low-income, and prior-homeless" were being kicked out to make way for STAY. They launched a lawsuit in 2009 against the New Cecil. Meanwhile, an investment group within the New Cecil sued the other group stating that they had been misled about the state of the property. Everyone finally settled.

There are now a portion of rooms for tourists, and a portion of rooms for "residents". Additionally, the building has gone back to "lender" which plans to put Cecil back on market.

Cecil Hotel Rooms

• 600 Rooms in the entire complex
• 240 Guest Rooms in the Cecil Hotel
• 148 Guest Rooms in the Stay Hotel
• 212 Residences (recently 300)
• 038 Guests on the day Elisa Lam's body was discovered.

Occupied rooms were not searched by LAPD dogs.

 

[Fei]

I wondered the same thing. Some pics on her Instagram from Toronto -- some rooftop views, BTW, but no California. Maybe because of whenever she lost her phone?

http://instagram.com/moulesmariniere

Looks to me the first two pics (both posted on Dec 21. 2012) were taken through windows, and I also believe those two were taken in Vancouver, not Toronto. A quick search online reveals to me that she might be somewhere near the Telus Garden construction site in Vancouver. (To be more precise, I think she was in the Bay department store, where she took the photos through the windows on the southeastern side of the building facing the Seymour Street- maybe she was doing her Christmas shopping or working there?)

 

[Xavier]

Bolded sounds more than reasonable, if she was indeed found naked and if indeed the police do not have her clothes

So if we assume she was naked and the LAPD does not have her clothes then it would totally depend on where she left the clothes, if she left them on the roof top they would still be there, the wall around the roof is high enough to keep anything with weight there, they might get blown into a corner but they'd still be there.

If she left them on top of the tank they could have been blown off down to the street below.

I still believe if EL took off her clothes, shoes on the roof, she was instructed to do this by the perp

If she did commit suicide, I think she chose the water tank because cleansing the body in water is a Chinese customary ritaul for burial rites


Sounds goofy, but then if you ask someone of Chinese descent about this practice, it may make more sense to you

Who knows, it's all guesswork at this point until we get more intel

 

[Borris]

Hi everyone, My apologies if this has been already brought up. I have not formed an opinion yet. But what are your thoughts about the video after she exits? Notice how the elevator goes to each floor? You do not see it stall on these floors as we did when Elisa was onboard. Could this be because she had stalled the elevator? Was someone else stalling the elevator? Maybe someone who had control of the camera? What are your thoughts? Thank You.

Video -

[ame="http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/QrOGM84VgHc/"]Cecil Elevator - Stalling the Doors[/ame]

 

[kunibob]

Looks to me the first two pics (both posted on Dec 21. 2012) were taken through windows, and I also believe those two were taken in Vancouver, not Toronto. A quick search online reveals to me that she might be somewhere near the Telus Garden construction site in Vancouver.

I can confirm that you are bang on with that location for the 2nd one. 1st one looks like it's near there as well.

 

[hello people]

That seems completely plausible to me.

What does not seem plausible to me is to think anyone--amateur, expert, or professional--could watch that video and claim that they can have even a modicum of certainty that Elisa displays any clinical psych condition, or use of any particular (or even general) drug use, or even definitively of any particular mood or mindset.

Lots of things are plausible; certainty or even some certainty is not.

Damn straaaaaange way to keep the doors open

 

[MesaVerde]

EL's Formspring account

If that is her, I find her to be funny, adorable, and very relatable. So cute and sweet.

 

[Chorley8]

Wouldn't surprise me that they have private investigators helping, and IMO, they would be wise to do so.

WRT a potential "coverup", i think they'd be hard-pressed to go this route, given international involvement of RCMP and Interpol.

I've wondered if Elisa's family or the RCMP had an observer / representative attend the autopsy or possibly even request an independent autopsy.

MOO

S.B. I like your first and third comments here and also the comments of the poster you quoted in 709 - very sober comments - of course most crimes are straightforward but there are also lots of cover-ups - mostly little things like less than ideal evidence handling - but there are big cover-ups too - fantastic advice for family to have representative to study autopsy etc. I concur with hiring a P.I. even if they need to raise money - they're expensive.

Not sure how independent RCMP would be in this - I would think mostly being kept apprised of things. I would rather see China involved - they often have great concern for "Overseas Chinese" - I can't imagine the RCMP taking on an American police force - I would expect them to be.....sort of obedient.

One photo Gehry AGO Toronto sorry for this crazily long url if it doesn't work try google images art galley ontario https://www.google.ca/search?q=art+...mporary%2Fart_gallery_of_ontario.html;400;605

 

[Conductor71]

Video -

I don't recall that we could see EL push all the buttons in that row? I thought initially only 4 were lit up. The fact that the Door Hold button has no light makes it that much more difficult to know that she intended to hold the door.

My take on the video has always been that she was expecting someone to follow her onto the elevator, and I think her movements are alternately relaxed and playful then a bit anxious and uneasy. I am guessing maybe she liked the person yet something made her wary. I don't even bother to speculate what is going on when she is is in the hallway.

The thought that she was holding the door for her killer is chilling. What are some other explanations (no drug or mental health stuff please) as to why she would be up in the middle of the night with not even a key card in hand and stalling the elevator? When I travel alone, I always have gripped that card in my hand when leaving and returning to get into my room as quickly as possible.

 

[hello people]

The thought that she was holding the door for her killer is chilling. What are some other explanations (no drug or mental health stuff please) as to why she would be up in the middle of the night with not even a key card in hand and stalling the elevator? When I travel alone, I always have gripped that card in my hand when leaving and returning to get into my room as quickly as possible.

I think we have to call a spade a spade here and say that what we have seen in the video footage is....strange...drug strange.

Further speculation and angles and possibilities are highly titillating...but let's call a duck a duck here...

She's been drugged...wait for the toxicology stuff. Be patient.

Of course...you never know what truths or untruths make their way back to public news services once the body disappears into the hands of government organisations.

 

[Sillybilly]

I can confirm that you are bang on with that location for the 2nd one. 1st one looks like it's near there as well.

That sign "Kingston" to the left of the Telus sign is the old Kingston Hotel that was one of the buildings that was to remain when Telus Garden went in. That shot had to have been taken from around the corner of Richards and W. Georgia. I think she may have been up in the Vancouver Public Library on W. Georgia to get that shot of that particular sign on the side of the Kingston.

 

[Chorley8]

Pic watching band Grizzly Bear they "really know how to put on a show" 2012 dates:

http://seatgeek.com/blog/concerts/grizzly-bear-tickets-concert-schedule-2012

Wiki article on the band [ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grizzly_Bear_%28band%29[/ame]

"Information sign" pic and Conan Doyle room closed is inside Toronto Public Reference Library

 

[Chorley8]

That sign "Kingston" to the left of the Telus sign is the old Kingston Hotel that was one of the buildings that was to remain when Telus Garden went in. That shot had to have been taken from around the corner of Richards and W. Georgia. I think she may have been up in the Vancouver Public Library on W. Georgia to get that shot of that particular sign on the side of the Kingston.

Any author readings Toronto Library or Vancouver Library?

 

[Sillybilly]

No biggy here .. just a mild observation from the instagram pics and probably meaningless, but i'm tossing it out anyway.

In the instagram pic of her left hand with untended nailpolish, she is wearing a watch on her left wrist.

In the pic of Elisa on the George Stroumboulopolis set, she is wearing a watch on her left wrist.

In the pic where the she is wearing the black coat, where we can't see her face as she holds the little camera, with the tiny bit of the plaid hoodie showing, the watch is on her right wrist.

Oh, and no .. i don't have any theories to accompany it

 

[noodled1]

Yes, I agree that there are many Asian people in this area. That is not really what was odd. The odd point is that for a dead body to be on the beach in Newport

Snipped that up...


You know LAPD and Newport PD were on the phone till all hours last night comparing notes. As soon as the body in Newport was found everyone's ears perked up