If you don't know, Elisa Lam was a Canadian tourist who stayed at the infamous Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles. The Hotel has long been a hotspot for suicides, serial killers and unexplained murders. It's even rumored that the Black Dalia frequented the hotel before her gruesome murder. The surveillance footage below is believed to be the last time she was seen alive.
Elisa was found naked in the water tank on the roof two weeks later, after hotel guests complained of dark, foul-tasting water coming from the faucets. Disgustingly, this was because she had been in the tank since the night of the surveillance footage was taken and her body was starting to decompose.
So what happened to her? Why does the elevator seem to not do anything, even when she pushes all the buttons? Why does she seem disoriented, like someone is following her? Who is she talking to? And, most importantly, why does the elevator seem to resume normal function as soon as she leaves? Let's look at the facts.
- The surveillance video had about a minute edited out before being released to the public. Why?
- Elisa's official cause of death was "accidental drowning", and there were no signs of foulplay.
- She was naked when she was found, but her clothes were also in the tank. This means she either took them off once she got in, or someone threw them in afterwards.
- How did Elisa get through a locked door that sounds an alarm when opened (no alarm was sounded that night), get onto the roof, climb the water tank, lift the heavy lid from the top of the tank, get in the water, and then somehow CLOSE the lid completely?
- Elisa was bipolAr and took several medications for it, some of which had side effects of psychosis and hallucinations. This could explain why she was acting weird in the elevator, but doesn't explain why the elevator seems to malfunction around her.
- Some people are confident in the numbers she's pushing on the elevator. The numbers she pushes are believed to be verses from the book of John, all of which reference water.
What do you think? I'm doing a presentation on her for a final so ask me if you have any questions.
Okay, I completely believe that something suspicious happened to her but - for now - I'm gonna play devil's advocate.
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Originally posted by ceremonials
So what happened to her? Why does the elevator seem to not do anything, even when she pushes all the buttons? Why does she seem disoriented, like someone is following her? Who is she talking to? And, most importantly, why does the elevator seem to resume normal function as soon as she leaves? Let's look at the facts.
You can see that she presses the "hold door" button on the elevator, which would naturally keep the doors open for a certain period of time. It could just be a complete coincidence that the time it took for Elisa to leave is the same amount of time that the hold function lasts for.
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- The surveillance video had about a minute edited out before being released to the public. Why?
Possibly showed other guests that didn't want their faces to be released, or the footage was of a sensitive nature.
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- Elisa was bipolAr and took several medications for it, some of which had side effects of psychosis and hallucinations. This could explain why she was acting weird in the elevator, but doesn't explain why the elevator seems to malfunction around her.
As said before, it's possible that this is a coincidence. The elevator doesn't really malfunction, it just doesn't close its doors for a long time, which can be explained by Elisa firstly pressing the button when she enters, then someone else/Elisa herself pressing the "call elevator" button OUTSIDE the elevator to keep it there.
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- Some people are confident in the numbers she's pushing on the elevator. The numbers she pushes are believed to be verses from the book of John, all of which reference water.
This is such a reach imo
Something very very weird happened to her, for sure. Whether it was demonic activity, the actions of another guest/staff member or something else entirely, I have no idea. But there's certainly something odd about the way it was simply ruled an accident when there are so many loose ends.
Okay, I completely believe that something suspicious happened to her but - for now - I'm gonna play devil's advocate.
You can see that she presses the "hold door" button on the elevator, which would naturally keep the doors open for a certain period of time. It could just be a complete coincidence that the time it took for Elisa to leave is the same amount of time that the hold function lasts for.
Possibly showed other guests that didn't want their faces to be released, or the footage was of a sensitive nature.
As said before, it's possible that this is a coincidence. The elevator doesn't really malfunction, it just doesn't close its doors for a long time, which can be explained by Elisa firstly pressing the button when she enters, then someone else/Elisa herself pressing the "call elevator" button OUTSIDE the elevator to keep it there.
This is such a reach imo
Something very very weird happened to her, for sure. Whether it was demonic activity, the actions of another guest/staff member or something else entirely, I have no idea. But there's certainly something odd about the way it was simply ruled an accident when there are so many loose ends.
Have you ever been in an elevator? The hold door doesn't last that long. Plus she pushes several buttons before that. It was definitely malfunctioning, however it could just be a coincidence.
And I wouldn't think the bible one is a reach if the video was clearer tbh. I just don't see how someone can see all the buttons she's pushing in that grainy ass video.
This is my absolutely favorite "mystery case". I think I talk about it to my friends once every month, because it comes to mind quite often - mostly whenever I read the name Elisa. I'm so curious as to what ever the **** happened to her though.. Her instagram is chilling to look at now.
This is my absolutely favorite "mystery case". I think I talk about it to my friends once every month, because it comes to mind quite often - mostly whenever I read the name Elisa. I'm so curious as to what ever the **** happened to her though.. Her instagram is chilling to look at now.
Same. I just have this insatiable curiosity surrounding her.
- she was hallucinating from one of her meds
- thought someone was chasing her
- so she hid in the water tank for some reason
this doesn't explain aLOT tho
My theory also. It makes the most sense and I'm not sure what you mean by it doesn't explain alot, no shade. I just haven't read about this for over a year so I forgot a lot of the details. I do know one thing people were skeptical about was the locked door. But let's be real, this is a shoddy hotel so it was probably easy to get open. Even if it wasn't easy, the adrenaline from her fearing for her life is probably what allowed her to break it open tbh.
My theory also. It makes the most sense and I'm not sure what you mean by it doesn't explain alot, no shade. I just haven't read about this for over a year so I forgot a lot of the details. I do know one thing people were skeptical about was the locked door. But let's be real, this is a shoddy hotel so it was probably easy to get open. Even if it wasn't easy, the adrenaline from her fearing for her life is probably what allowed her to break it open tbh.
- doesn't explain the elevator acting up
- if she did somehow get through the door, why didn't the alarm sound?
- how did she put the lid back on? It would have been hard to get the lid off but putting it back in place while completely submerged in water is next to impossible
- why did she take her clothes off when she got in?
- she was hallucinating from one of her meds
- thought someone was chasing her
- so she hid in the water tank for some reason
this doesn't explain aLOT tho
That's around what I'm thinking happened. According to her family, Elisa had suffered from bipolar disorder, and there's a strong risk of mania if someone with bipolar disorder takes an antidepressant but not an antipsychotic (which she had not taken that day, although she did take at least one antidepressant that day).
People also question how she was able to get into the water tank since the lid was so heavy. However, people who go through mania suffer physical restlessness, and even though the lid was very heavy it's hinged on one side (as you see in this pic below) so it probably wouldn't have been that difficult to lift.
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Originally posted by thewayshemoves
I read somewhere that she was showing signs of Schizophrenia, so maybe that
It would be so terrifying if she had schizophrenia. I watched the video below for my AP Psychology class and it showed us what it was like to have schizophrenia.
It would be so horrifying for her to have gone through that. I can't even imagine what she must have hallucinated for her to go into the water tank.
This is such a reach imo
I'm so curious as to what ever the **** happened to her though.. Her instagram is chilling to look at now.
I watched the video below for my AP Psychology class and it showed us what it was like to have schizophrenia.