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

[Myst]

From the videos we've seen it seems that yes all the room that are on the 14th floor start with the number 14 and the same with other floors

The hotel is said to have between 600 and 700 rooms depending on what you read or when it was written... The hotel has gone through a few remodels so I imagine the number or rooms had fluctuated over the years which may account for the discrepancy when you read reports

True, it seems that there isn't much checking the facts of the hotel when someone writes an article, much of the same old mis-information just gets copied forward. There is a good article that has done some major fact checking on the hotel, see link below.

Says there that the hotel 'used to be' 700 rooms, but when parts of it was transformed into single room occupancy (SRO) housing and other changes made, it became 600 rooms. 'Stay at Main' was added, lounges and kitchens were added. Some of the rooms were turned into 'suites' for families, etc.


http://www.thecabinet.com/darkdestinations/location.php?sub_id=dark_destinations&letter=c&location_id=the_cecil_hotel_los_angeles_ca

 

[RhiannonR]

"A water tank on the roof is not something people, sane or insane, would think of."

Really?

 

[Godsdog]

That is a hard thing to do. You did a good job.

I remember one that you forgot because I found it by far the creepiest and most interesting of the things that had been in your post.

Do you remember that a guest said that somebody had been watching her shave her legs (in the shower?) in the shower room/bathroom through a grate in the next door shower room/bathroom. That was in your post, right?

That is really really creepy. Somebody spying on females in the shower at the hotel. Uber creepy.

Thanks. Darn it, yes that was in the post I compiled last night and I meant to put it in this post but forgot at the last moment. Definitely one of the most disturbing posts in all of the reviews I read.

 

[MesaVerde]

"A water tank on the roof is not something people, sane or insane, would think of."

Really?

I would agree with the person who wrote that. I think that a criminal who is thinking quite often about how to kill people and where to put their bodies afterwards would think of a water tank in that way.

But I don't think it is a place where a person would think to put themselves in most cases. Except maybe people old enough to have watched Petticoat Junction--they might like to cut the top off and make a big jacuzzi.

 

[Myst]

Has somebody already said? They cut a big hole in the side of the tank to get her body out.

But the access hole on top was plenty large enough for the average body to go into. I agree no way would someone remove the entire lid to get in. It would weight too much.

Yep, I agree the access hole on top was big enough for her body to be put into the tank.

What I'm wondering about is how they clean those tanks once a year, or whenever they do? Seems like the very top of the tank must be sealed, then there's that access hole on top. There must not be full access to the tanks or the police would have just asked for maintenance to open the tank for them after it was drained, rather than having the fire dept cut a hole in the side.

Sooooooo.... that leads me to wonder how do they clean the tanks? Really clean them? Like with a scrub down every now and then. It sounds like they don't bother doing that. Which is creepy, considering drinking water comes from there.

Makes me question our own drinking water, and whatever containers that comes from, and the matter of cleanliness, or.... :what:

 

[samevo8]

Not so sure she met a guy in SD. In her tumblr, she does mention meeting a new guy (Jan 15: http://nouvelle-nouveau.tumblr.com/post/40549046425/more-so-theres-a-guy-im-interested-in-but), being interested in him (including a tattoo of his, Jan 18 http://nouvelle-nouveau.tumblr.com/post/40825008672/more-so-the-boy-i-am-interested-in-he), but then him apparently not interested back (Jan 19: http://nouvelle-nouveau.tumblr.com/post/40901960749/he-said-nothing-i-was-rejected-im-going-to) .


All this tumblr stuff is happening while she's in the Vancouver area, I believe. Perhpas the quote she makes while in SD is in reflection to the boy she seemed to really like up in Vancouver.

On an interesting note, I finally see the Left 4 Dead (zombie video game) reference on her Jan 15th posting:
"But if you notice things, he’s just…you know, very very very right (not going to say perfect)

plays the double bass
wears bowties (and suspenders!)
plays L4D
has an adorable smile"

Since apparently part of being "very very very right" is playing L4D (ie: "Left 4 Dead"), there's the inference that EL also played L4D that I heard from the Chinese news sources.

I want to come forward in this case.

I wounder if everything has been said about Elisa´s comments on tumblr? On 25th of January she is talking about a guy she just met: http://nouvelle-nouveau.tumblr.com/post/41414644630/today-i-slept-took-a-long-hot-shower-stuffed

And she is also writing where she will be heading in San Diego, and she is living in a hostel. How many hostels are there in San Diego? Who is the most popular?

And in last year on December 15 she is writing: "I am trying to figure out my emotions about a guy I met in Toronto". She had just come back after a trip to Ontario and Toronto and her boyfriend had just informed her that he wanted to have a break in their relationship. In December 18 she is talking about "money before I leave for California"

January 23: "I got lost in the airport and missed my connection flight. UGHH. Sleepover at the airport again. United Airlines provides blankets. I have wifi. I can pretend I´m Tom Hanks in the terminal". Did she have a laptop or a cell phone were she could be connected wirelessly?

I am also looking through all her linked photographs on tumblr because they are telling a lot about Elisa herself. Every picture has a certain expression, a certain contents and a defined composition. Elisa did choose them one by one because she felt linked to them and they all described a special feeling, a desire that she had.

Because I am working with photographs on daily basis I feel I can capture her personality in some way.

 

[Myst]

They sure are...

Yep. Kinda makes me wonder how thorough LAPD was with their search dog(s) early on when they did a routine search of the bldg. We know from early links posted that they didn't go into every room with the dog(s) because they didn't have cause, or whatever their wording for that is. Seems like with a missing person, that would be their cause, maybe that's just me tho. So they supposedly took the dog(s) to the roof as well.

But how thorough were they.... really? If they know they weren't as thorough as they 'could have' been, that could be part of why they are so quiet now. IMO.

 

[MesaVerde]

Sooooooo.... that leads me to wonder how do they clean the tanks? Really clean them? Like with a scrub down every now and then. It sounds like they don't bother doing that. Which is creepy, considering drinking water comes from there.

No, they don't do that. They add chlorine to the water. Every once in a while they might flush it and put in fresh water and chlorine, which is what they did after her body was found.

I have a water holder on our counter. It is a couple years old now. I pour water from plastic jugs into it for drinking and cooking. I have never had to rinse it out or clean it. No mold or anything. No chlorine in it either.

If you think about it, the pipes that bring the water into your house and the plumbing in your house don't get a scrub down from you probably ever right? Wouldn't even be possible to do. But you still drink that water. I agree it is gross. But it seems to be an accepted part of modern life.

 

[Peter Brendt]

Not sure if I can post this here but heard about this yesterday. Seems like if you are a small Asian woman in her 20's you might want to stay out of So Cal for a bit. Doubt that there is a connection but just thought it was odd that two 20 something small framed Asian women turn up dead within a month not 40 miles of one another.

http://m.cbsnews.com/storysynopsis.rbml?pageType=general&catid=57572398&feed_id=999&videofeed=999

Not many details in that article. Was she found nude, in the water or above the water mark, was she a local ... lots of questions before one can even start to guess.

 

[Godsdog]

It seems there are quite a few contributors here that are in L.A. I am. I wonder if we should consider doing our own informal group trip to the Cecil? I'm leaving town on the 11th for the rest of the month, but if it's before then or in April I'd be in, provided I didn't have to be alone at any time in there (I got too freaked out on my one solo visit). :blushing:

 

[samevo8]

I know this whole Speakeasy thing has been discussed numerous times, but has there been a consensus on which Speakeasy she was at?

EL's Twitter's last entry, dated Jan 27 says "SPEAKEASY" (https://mobile.twitter.com/lambetes). Probably a real-time tweet of where she was.

From multiple news sources, I read that EL checked into Cecil on Jan 26. However, that she was booked for four evenings. Since she was apparently supposed to check out on Feb 1st, however, that would make her check in on Jan 28. I believe her Tumblr notes on the 29th that she has arrived in LA (la la land or whatever she called it). While some time delay is possible, I think it'd be more sensible if she checked in on the 28th, possibly late in the evening, and crashed/slept due to her trip from SD. Given her active use of social media, I'd think that she'd provide an update on her whereabouts to Tumblrverse sooner than later. I've seen some postings on the 26 vs 28 check in as well but not sure if there was agreement on this date as well.

So.... I'm guessing she was at a speakeasy in SD then.? The Varnish in downtown LA apparently is 0.1 miles (literally around the block, according to Google Maps) from the Cecil, however.

Curious about these speakeasies. Would this be a place that a girl would go to by herself (with no intention of meeting up with someone)? I know EL frequented coffeee shops on her own. But I'd imagine that lounge bars and cafes are two entirely different scenes.

The website for the Gaslamp District in San Diego also lists 2 hostels that are in the Gaslamp District: http://www.gaslamp.org/hostels/. The Gaslamp District is a beautiful pedestrian area, according to my boyfriend (he's been there, but I haven't).

From everything we've heard, Elisa was probably not a big drinker. But a speakeasy in the Gaslamp District would have been a sensible place to hang out and drink if you were stating in a hostel there. I've wondered if she drank a little wine, got tipsier than expected because of her medications, and lost her (original) phone as a result. I used to take a combination of psych meds (some of the same drugs), and just half a glass of merlot would unexpectedly get me drunk. I wasn't much of a drinker at all, either.

 

[MesaVerde]

I'd be in, provided I didn't have to be alone at any time in there (I got too freaked out on my one solo visit). :blushing:

Aaaah, I wish I was there. I would protect you. They'd have to go through me to get you. I'm a little pack of dynamite.

 

[Peter Brendt]

Also, a person without knowledge of the water tanks would need to scout around first, before taking the risk of transporting a body.

As also pointed out in the profile notes in thread #2, psychopathic behavior is not limited to serial killers (sometimes, I think, it becomes more popular by the day, but that's maybe only me). So this would also include drugs (recreational drugs used by the unsub), petty crimes and a general tendency to do forbidden things. So, maybe ten people watch the sunset from the roof, or have a beer up there, but if you look for y psychopath, chances are, he is up there with him. Because it's forbidden and he can. And a history of petty crimes would anyway enforce scouting behavior because you never know what kind of place you need next.

 

[samevo8]

That sounds like a great idea. If I weren't in NorCal, I'd be up for a visit. However, I wonder how the hotel management/staff would react to yet another group (assuming they knew of the Chinese group) coming in to do some amateur sleuthing. I'm guessing people would have to be stealthy or book a room there (maybe on the 4th or 14th floors??)

It seems there are quite a few contributors here that are in L.A. I am. I wonder if we should consider doing our own informal group trip to the Cecil? I'm leaving town on the 11th for the rest of the month, but if it's before then or in April I'd be in, provided I didn't have to be alone at any time in there (I got too freaked out on my one solo visit). :blushing:

 

[Peter Brendt]

Does anyone by chance know the LAPD's detection rate?

I have no numbers, but npoted them and Orange Couty lately for some pretty good jobs in the serial killer area (I'm more in that line of profiling, so probably it's more, that I noticed because it was of interest to me).

 

[MesaVerde]

I've wondered if she drank a little wine, got tipsier than expected because of her medications, and lost her (original) phone as a result.

I had my cell phone stolen in a bar in Socal. I wasn't the only one that night either. It happened constantly in that bar. There was a ring that would target cell phones--maybe for resale in asia?

You set it down on the table or counter in front of you. Someone chats you up. Boom it is gone. I realized within minutes it was missing. Whoever took it already had it turned off. They are very crafty. I wouldn't be much surprised if something similar happened to her. I was sober, by the way. I don't drink.

 

[Godsdog]

Aaaah, I wish I was there. I would protect you. They'd have to go through me to get you. I'm a little pack of dynamite.

Aw, you're the best! (For the record, I'm an adult male with a lot of worldly experience. No one would guess from my outward experience that I'm such a chicken. I hate to admit this on this forum of so many rational thinkers, but It's really the whole possibility of ghosts and the paranormal that freaks me out!)

 

[FiveFelines]

Last night I took a couple of hours to go through online reviews of the Hotel Cecil and Stay on Main, going to Yelp, Hotels.com and Expedia. I composed a long post with quote after quote detailing observations and experiences of the place(s) but the post was deleted as apparently I broke a rule by using long quotes. Fair enough, I accept full responsibility as I was lax at studying the rules. I'm going to try and summarize that post from memory now.

1. Stay on Main has its own access to the elevators.

One reviewer described that Stay on Main has a staircase to the Mezzanine level and access to the elevators there. Stay on Main also locks its doors after midnight and their guests then have to use the Cecil entrance to gain access to their rooms.

This results in an additional lack of security. One man said he was denied entry into Stay on Main and then went around the corner to the Cecil and was able to gain access to his friend's room and stay there in that manner.

Another funny entry stated that they found the Hotel Cecil deplorable so they went next store to the Stay on Main and got a room, finding it very satisfying. This person evidently neglected to realize that the two were in the same building, and that they were using the same elevator.

2. Numerous accounts of staying on the 14th and 15th floors.

One person noted that the 14th floor had no sinks on that floor and that they had to brush their teeth by using the shower.

3. Very rude and unhelpful staff.

There were numerous accounts of both locations losing reservations, issuing the wrong type of room to people checking in, and sending people to rooms that hadn't been cleaned from the previous occupant.

4. Unhelpful and threatening Security

There were a few accounts of the Security at the hotel being unhelpful, with one person saying that the Security Officer threatened him with a "beat down" if he wasn't staying in the room that he said he was going to.

5. Thin walls

Numerous accounts of hearing everything in other rooms and in the halls, including cursing, yelling, loud conversations, people using the bathroom, doors slamming, etc. (Relevant in regards to the theories that EL may have been kept alive for some time in the hotel).

6. Lack of safety

Numerous accounts of people using drugs in the hallways, bathrooms and elevator. One account of a door to a Stay on Main dormitory looking as if it had been kicked in in the past and not repaired. One account of a door that wouldn't close and lock properly. Various accounts of doors with from three to six locks on them.

There was a disturbing account of an open window (could not be locked or secured) to a fire escape that led directly to the alley, meaning that anyone could access the hotel.

One person said they were issued a room but when they went to it the room was locked from the inside by someone within. When they returned to the room with a Security Guard the room was no longer bolted from within and no one was in the room.

7. Trouble with the elevators.

Many people reported trouble with the elevators, including broken elevators, elevators that stalled and stopped on certain floors, elevators that took far too long. One person said she was trapped in a stalled elevator for more than a half hour until she was rescued. These accounts predated EL's stay.

8. Plumbing problems.

Lots of complaints that there was no hot water, also many people noted that the water was rusty or discolored. Also many noted that the pipes were loud. These complaints predated EL's stay and disappearance.

I really hope that I haven't broken the rules again. I've tried to put things into my own words so that I'm not making direct quotes.

9. Lurkers and creepy behavior

The scariest entry was one woman's account of discovering someone spying on her through a grate as she shaved her legs.

Thank you. I did a post with a bunch of these reviews, but yours is so much more organized. I thought that the reviews about "no visitors allowed" were interesting, because it's obviously not difficult to walk right in and go up the elevator, at least during the day. Also, the fact that there were several complaints about the water long before EL's death, which were not acknowledged by hotel staff. Wonder why the maintenance guy suddenly checked the tank now.

 

[Peter Brendt]

I would agree with the person who wrote that. I think that a criminal who is thinking quite often about how to kill people and where to put their bodies afterwards would think of a water tank in that way.

But I don't think it is a place where a person would think to put themselves in most cases. Except maybe people old enough to have watched Petticoat Junction--they might like to cut the top off and make a big jacuzzi.

Again, I refer to my own profile notes from thread #2 and the follow ups in #3. Tanks on a roof are not that common anymore in bigger US cities and in most West-European cities. They are however still very common in Central and Eastern Europe. Thus, I suspected, maybe a traveler residing in the Cecil at the time had travel experience from there or came from Eastern or Central Europe. Just such a thought. Also India has not only a lot of those tanks but also some history of bodies in them as it appears.

 

[MesaVerde]

And a history of petty crimes would anyway enforce scouting behavior because you never know what kind of place you need next.

I think this is spot on.

Do you remember the guy that buried nearly a whole family inside of a hollow tree? Except I think he had the sister of the family in his basement. I think even the poor dog was in the tree.

Who does that? Who comes across a hollow tree and thinks, I could hide bodies in there?

...The type of person who thinks that when they see a water tank or an old well or an abandoned mine or a crawl space or a crevice behind a wall in a building on the MIT campus. That sort of person.

I find a hollow tree and I start thinking things like, oh, that would be such a cool, magical little tree house if it only had a little door on the side. I could read books in there.