Elisa Lam

Elisa Lam was a 21-year-old Canadian student from Vancouver, British Columbia, who was found dead in a water tank on the roof of the Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles on February 19, 2013. [Her death, ruled an accidental drowning with bipolar disorder as a significant contributing factor, became one of the most discussed and speculated-upon cases of the 2010s, largely due to a deeply unsettling elevator surveillance video released by the LAPD during the search for her](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-21504399).

Lam, born in Hong Kong and raised in Vancouver, was a student at the University of British Columbia. In January 2013, she embarked on a solo trip along the West Coast, visiting San Diego and Los Angeles. On January 26, 2013, she checked into the Cecil Hotel (marketed at the time under the name "Stay on Main"), a budget hotel in the Skid Row area of downtown Los Angeles with a long and dark history — the hotel had been linked to at least two serial killers (Richard Ramirez and Jack Unterweger) and numerous suicides over its decades of operation.

Lam was last seen on January 31, 2013. When her family in Vancouver lost contact with her, they reported her missing to the LAPD. On February 13, 2013, the LAPD released surveillance footage from the hotel elevator showing Lam on the night of her disappearance. [The footage showed her entering the elevator, pressing multiple buttons, then stepping out and making unusual gestures — appearing to talk to or hide from someone not visible on camera, waving her arms, and behaving erratically. The video went viral and spawned widespread speculation about supernatural activity, foul play, or conspiracy](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/02/17/how-elisa-lams-mysterious-death-at-the-cecils-hotel-became-a-viral-sensation/).

On February 19, 2013, hotel maintenance worker Santiago Lopez discovered Lam's body in one of the rooftop water tanks after guests and staff complained about low water pressure and discolored, foul-tasting water. The tanks were approximately eight feet tall and four feet wide, accessible via a locked rooftop door and a ladder, equipped with heavy hinged lids. Lam was found unclothed, with her clothing and personal belongings floating in the water beside her.

[The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner ruled Lam's death an accidental drowning in June 2013. The coroner's report noted that Lam had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and depression and had been prescribed multiple psychiatric medications, some of which were found at subtherapeutic levels in her system at the time of death](https://www.cnn.com/2013/06/20/us/california-hotel-body/index.html). No traces of illegal drugs or alcohol were found. There was no evidence of physical trauma or sexual assault.

Despite the official ruling, the case attracted massive online speculation. Internet sleuths proposed theories ranging from murder to paranormal activity, and several individuals were falsely accused. [The case was featured in the 2021 Netflix documentary series "Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel"](https://www.npr.org/2021/02/11/966779898/netflix-documentary-revisits-the-mysterious-death-of-elisa-lam).

No criminal charges were filed in connection with Elisa Lam's death. [The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner ruled the death an accidental drowning in June 2013](https://www.cnn.com/2013/06/20/us/california-hotel-body/index.html), with bipolar disorder listed as a significant contributing condition. The LAPD investigation found no evidence of foul play. [The Lam family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Cecil Hotel in 2013, alleging inadequate security and negligent maintenance](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/10/elisa-lam-death-netflix-documentary-hotel-cecil). The lawsuit was settled out of court. The case remains officially closed as an accidental death.