Elisa Lam
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Project 1
Introduction 1
What happened to Elisa Lam? Elisa was a 21-year-old Canadian student who mysteriously disappeared in 2013 at the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles, California. She was traveling around the world. “According to the CBC, Lam made an online reservation for a three-night stay in a shared room at the hotel on Jan. 28, 2013. She was first assigned to 506B, but after Lam's roommates complained about her odd behavior, she was moved to a private room, she then entered an elevator and started acting differently. Her parents reported her missing when they hadn't heard from her by Jan. 31.” (1) Few of the conspiracy theories that surround Elisa’s Death:
Did Elisa die by suicide?
Was Elisa accidentally drowned?
Was Elisa murdered by someone?
Let us examine Elisa Lam’s and the conspiracy theories about her mysterious death. Could she possibly have been murdered or was it an accidental death?
Project 2
Elisa Lam, a student at the University of Columbia in Vancouver, had big plans for her future. She was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; she disappeared at the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles, California; “Her stay was to last three nights. During this time, Lam’s known activity was limited. She changed from a shared room to a single. She visited a bookstore. She returned to the hotel. And then she vanished.” (1) Lam was a beautiful young lady who was traveling around the world.
Lam had a history of bipolar disorder. “Lam, she says, may have been having hallucinations consistent with her history of delusions” (1) She was taking four different types of psychiatric medications. She also had episodes of anxiety attacks. “A toxicology report revealed only traces of pharmaceuticals in her system at the time of her death, indicating that she may not have been taking her medication — further contributed to the theory that she may have had a psychotic episode, causing her to climb the roof and end up in the tank.” (2) Could that have led her to commit suicide?
Elisa Lam was a blogger, she often blogged about her mental illness. “You’re always haunted by the idea you’re wasting your life.” (3) One of her last updates comes from when she had arrived at the Hotel Cecil in Los Angeles. She describes having “arrived in Laland” and the “monstrosity” of a building next to the hotel.” (3) This Was one of the last posts that she had uploaded to her blog. It was a quote from author Chuck Palahniuk.
Elisa’s final moment was captured on video in an elevator she was acting strange. She was seen walking around the elevators and acting weird. She seemed extremely anxious, but there was no explanation as to why she was acting that way. Could she think of traveling far from her parents to commit suicide?
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There are two main conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Elisa Lam. The first theory is that Lam could have committed suicide since she suffered from bipolar and anxiety attacks. The second theory is that some type of paranormal activity had something to do with her death.
The first conspiracy theory is what they declared as the ruling of her death. They ruled that it was an accidental drowning. How could that be possible? Was she strong enough to open the water tank by herself without the help of anyone? They declared that it was an accidental drowning, and it could have been a result of her bipolar disorder. “The toxicology report confirmed that Lam had consumed a number of medical drugs, likely to be medication for her bipolar disorder. But there were no indications of alcohol or illegal substances in her body.” (1) Lam probably felt depressed and started using the prescribed medication that could have made her feel suicidal. “Elisa was an avid blogger on Tumblr and some posts point to a struggle with anxiety and depression. In one post in November 2012, Elisa wrote: "Today has been one of those blah days full of apathy. dangerous too; I can see myself feeling suicidal and it always scares me when I start feeling suicidal." (2) Could this been what happened to Lam?
The second conspiracy theory is that maybe some type of paranormal activity has something to do with her death. Elisa Lam was last seen at the hotel elevator acting strangely she was seen by herself. “The last minutes of the video show Lam standing by the left side of the door, moving her hands in random gestures. Nobody else was captured on the video, except Lam.” (1) The Cecil Hotel has a reputation for death there has been several deaths there since its opening 1927. It is believed that some type of paranormal activity participated in the death, could it have been a malicious spirit that maybe Lam could see and made her go all the way up and put herself in the water tank?
Even though her death was ruled accidental, more investigation could have happened just to clarify what happened. If The Cecil Hotel has a reputation for death, someone that works there may be responsible for what is happening. The hotel might be haunted, and spirits could have something to do with these deaths.
Elisa Lam’s body was recovered on February 19, 2013, it was floating on one of The Cecil Hotel water tanks. Following her disappearance and once her body was found several theories were brought up behind her death.
Did she end her own life due to her mental health illness?
Was she followed by a malicious spirit that resulted in her death?
With all the investigation and evidence, her death was ruled an accidental suicide.
Works Cited
Smail, Gretchen. “8 Theories about Elisa Lam's Strange, Perplexing Death from 'Crime Scene'.” Bustle, Bustle, 10 Feb. 2021, https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/elisa-lam-death-theories-crime-scene-netflix.
Clair, Josh St. “The True Story of What Happened to Elisa Lam at the Cecil Hotel.” Men’s Health, 10 Feb. 2021, https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a35410248/elisa-lam-death-vanishing-cecil-hotel-true-story/.
Dickson, E. J. “How ‘The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel’ Misses the Real Story of Elisa Lam.” Rolling Stone, 25 Feb. 2021, https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/cecil-hotel-elisa-lam-true-crime-netflix-1132634/.
“Elisa Lam Tumblr: Her Blog Is Still Online Today and This Is What It Looks Like.” UK, 10 Feb. 2021, https://thetab.com/uk/2021/02/10/elisa-lam-tumblr-blog-cecil-hotel-nouvelle-nouveau-194543.
Kuroski, John. “The Disturbing Death Of Elisa Lam — And The Even More Disturbing Footage That Preceded It.” All That’s Interesting, 5 June 2021, https://allthatsinteresting.com/elisa-lam-death.
published, Fiona Embleton. “What Really Happened to Elisa Lam at the Cecil Hotel?” My Imperfect Life, 8 Apr. 2021, https://www.myimperfectlife.com/features/-what-really-happened-to-elisa-lam-at-cecil-hotel