Tag: skid row

The Mysterious Demise of Elisa Lam

Welcome to Another Installment of STRANGE AND DISTURBING VIDEOS  Featuring The Elisa Lam Elevator Surveillance Footage. This Time around We’re Going to Do things a Little Differently by Switching Up the Format. Directly Below is the Elisa Lam Video Footage, and Below the Video are The Facts, Speculations, and Unsolved Explanations.

The Facts:

  • Elisa Lam was a 21 Year Old Canadian Tourist and Student at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver where She was Originally From.
  • Lam was Visiting California and She was Traveling Alone.
  • In Spite of Being a Lone Traveler Lam remained in Constant Contact with Her Parents calling Them Several Times a Day.
  • Lam Struggled with Bipolar Disorder and Depression.
  • Lam was taking a Several Psychiatric Drugs to Treat Her Mental Health Issues.
  • Lam had a Blog where She Openly discussed Both Her Health and Mental Health Issues.

           

  • Lam Checked into the Cecil Hotel on January 26, 2013 and was Scheduled for Check Out on January 31, 2013
  • The Cecil (Formerly Hotel Cecil and Informally as The Cecil) is a Low Budget Hotel Built in 1927.
  • The Cecil is Located in Downtown Los Angeles on the Infamous Skid Row (Skid Row is Home to Countless Homeless, Alcoholics, Drug Dealers, Pimps, Drug Addicts, Hookers, Petty Criminals, and Assorted Deviants. Think NYC’s Hell’s Kitchen before Gentrification.)
  • Notorious Serial Killer, Rapist, and Burglar Richard Ramirez (aka The Night Stalker) lived at the Cecil from 1984-1985 during Most of His Horrific Killing Spree.
  • Lesser Known Austrian Serial Killer Johann “Jack” Unterweger was also a Resident of the Cecil’s Sordid Past.
  • In the 1930’s was Home to 6 Reported Suicides. A Few Residents Ingested Poison, While Others Shot Themselves, Slit Their Own Throats, or Jumped Out Their Bedroom Windows.
  • The Cecil is also Home to a 1964 Unsolved Murder .
  • In the 1950’s-60’s The Cecil experience another Rash of Suicides so Many that the Locals Dubbed The Cecil “The Suicide”.
  • Since the Elisa Lam’s Death the Cecil Rebranded itself The Stay On Main Hotel.

     

  • Initially Lam had a Shared Two Roommates, But Her Roommates complained to the Hotel Staff of Lam’s “Odd Behavior”.
  • Lam was then moved to a Private Room for the Remainder of Her Stay.
  • Lam was Supposed to Check Out of the Cecil on January 29th, But She Never Did.
  • Lam was Last seen Alive on January 29th by a Local Bookshop Owner.
  • Lam failed to Call Her Parents and Check in Either on January 29th which was the First Time She hadn’t Her Entire Trip.
  • Lam’s PArents called the LAPD and Reported Their Daughter Missing.
  • The Police Utilizing Search Dogs along with Lam’s Parents conduct a Thorough Search of the Cecil Hotel Including the Roof.
  • Their Search Turned Up Nothing Not s Single Clue or Shred of Evidence.
  • Lam’s Parents Didn’t Voluntarily Disclose Their Daughters Mental Health History to the Police Who were Pissed About it. Obviously The Police Thought such Pertinent Information would have been More Helpful if They had been Informed from the Beginning.

           

  • Shortly after the Failed Search News of Lam’s Mysterious Disappearance Hits the Media.
  • The Police deem Lam’s Disappearance as Suspicious and May Indicate Foul Play.
  • The Police hold a Press Conference and make Lam’s Case Public on February 6th.
  • Over a Week Passes before the Police Hold a Second Press Conference on February 14th. At the Press Conference They Release a Four Minute Video of Lam caught on an Elevator Surveillance Camera. The Video Captured Lam’s Erratic and Bizarre Behavior in Her Final Moments.
  • In the Footage Lam is seen Exiting and Re-entering the Elevator, Talking and Wildly Gesturing in the Hallway Outside the Elevator, and Sometimes seeming to Play a Sinister Game of Hide and Seek.
  • It is assumed the Elevator Door was Malfunctioning which Explains Why the Doors Don’t Automatically Close thus Remaining Open for Over 4 Minutes Straight.
  • After the Release of the Video Footage the Case’s Momentum Slows Considerably to a Virtual Stop.

            

  • Eventually Guests at the Cecil start to Complain about Low Water Pressure, and that the Water was Blackish in Color with a Very Unusual Taste.
  • During the Whole Ordeal The Cecil Remained Open. They did Require All Guests to Sign a “Drink The Water at Your Own Risk”/”Can’t Sue Us Waiver
  • On February 19th a Maintenance Worker Discovered Lam’s Body Floating in one of the Cecil’s 4 Large Water Tanks.
  • Lam Body was Nude, and Her Clothes along with Personal Affects were Floating in the Tank With Her.
  • The Coroner’s Report Found No Alcohol or Illegal Drugs in Her System, and  Deemed Lam’s Death as an Accidental Drowning.

The Unanswered Questions:

  • How did Lam access the Roof of the Cecil? The Door that leads to the Roof is Securely Locked at All Times, and is Wired with an Emergency Alarm that is Triggered When the Door is Opened. No Alarm was Ever Reported.
  • The Cecil’s Water Tanks are Four Feet Wide and 8 Feet Tall, and are Elevated on a Substantial Cinder Block Base increasing Their Height.
  • There NO FIXED ACCESS to the Water Tanks such as a Ladder or Stairs so How did Lam get on Top of the Tank to Begin With?
  • The Lids to the Tanks Weight 20 Pounds a Piece so if Lam climbed into the Tank on Her own Accord How did She Close the Lid with No Internal Handle?
  • The Water Level of the Tank that Lam’s Body was Found in  was too Low to allow Her to Reach the Hatch Door once inside of the Tank (even if there was a Viable Handle)?
  • Also What about the Fact the Police had Searched the Roof with the Assistance of Official Trained Search Dogs that turned up Nothing?
  • The Autopsy Report and its Conclusions have also been Questioned.
  • The Autopsy Report Doesn’t Say what the Results of the Rape Kit and Fingernail Kit Were, or Even if They were Processed.
  • Even the Coroner’s Pathologists appeared to be Ambivalent about the Conclusion that Lam’s Death was Accidental.
  • Lam’s Tumblr Blog was Consistently Updated up to 11 Months after Her Death.
  • Lam’s Phone was Not Found either with Her Body or in Her Hotel Room; it has been Assumed to have been Stolen sometime around Her Death.
  • Weather the Continued Updates to Lam’s Tumblr Blog were Facilitated by the Theft of Her Phone, the Work of a Hacker, They’re Automatic Updates through Tumblr’s Queue (which allows Users to Automatically Publish when the User is Away), or Possibly by Lam’s Killer is Unknown.

            

The Video Footage Theories and Conspiracies:

  • In Lou of the Mind Boggling Dynamics Some Believe Lam simply Commited Suicide.
  • Some Believe it was Due to The Paranormal someway Linked to the Cecil’s Violent Past.
  • Other Believe it was the Evil Spirit of Serial Killer Richard Ramirez or Johann “Jack” Unterweger who Still Stalk the Halls of the Cecil.
  • Another School of Thought is Lam was Demonically Possessed.
  • The More Practical Minded People Speculate Lam was having a Manic Fit or a Psychotic Break.
  • In Spite of the Coroner’s Report Finding No Alcohol or Illegal Drugs in Lam’s System insist She was Under The Influence/ Intoxicated explaining Her Abnormal Behavior in the Video Footage.
  • The Main and Most Intriguing Belief being Lam was in Fact Murdered. It Would explain Why in the Footage Lam Appears to Be Hiding at Times, Acting like She’s being Followed, Pleading with Someone in the Hallway, and Overall Frantic and Panicked Behavior. This could also Explain Lam’s Continued Tumblr Updates as They are being Posted by the Killer using Lam’s Missing Phone.

           

In The End it was a Mystery Then and It’s a Mystery Today. It’s Safe to Say Whatever the Secret was Behind Lam’s Final Manic Moments She Took With Her to the Grave.

Thanks For Reading/Watching,

Presented By    Les Sober & FYB  (Posted at 1:07 am)

Lee Jonitis: Professional People Watcher (40/365)

All Apologies for the 2 Day Delay. I have No Excuse I simply Forgot Sunday, and Yesterday I got Side Tracked by a Side Project. Again All Apologies.

As Lee’s Mind started to meld with the Madness Plastered Across the Walls. He was becoming Cerebrally Submerged within the Staggering Amount of Emotion it was Overwhelming to think about. And all the Stories, Declarations, Statements, Proclamations, Jokes, and Jest that were being Played Out in this Grotesque Public Forum.

Lee began to try and Imagine Each and Every Mind Set behind Each and Every Artist and Vandal alike. Of all the things that People could have written on the Lobby Walls Why did These People feel compelled to Write what They Did. Was it a Fare Representation of Who They really are, or were these just Temporary Outbursts to Vent the Frustration of Toiling Day after Day as these People Trudged through Their Lives?! Did They ever wonder if Anyone Read it? Did They Ever Stop to think if the Intended Party/Person it was Directed at even Actually Saw it?

Again was this just all simply Lashing Out to Somehow feel Vindicated to feel as if Someone would have to Listen to Them for Once? Did Any of these People ever find Themselves eating Lunch one Day and contemplating if the The Wall had been Repainted thus whipping Their Words from Public Record. Was that the Secret was it knowing that what They wrote wouldn’t stand the test of Time that They felt free to express Themselves as They did?!

Then Dizzy grabbed Lee’s Arm snapping Him back into the Grim Reality that was the Lobby. The pair started Their Ascent up the insanely Narrow Stair Case that reminded Lee of a fucking Submarine or Battleship scenario. It was so Narrow that if Someone was coming in the Opposite directing You’d have to turn sideways, and hug up against the No doubt Filthy wall to let Them squeeze past.

The virtual lack of any sort of real lighting gave the impression You might have inadvertently Stumbled into a Haunted House Attraction at The County Fair. Lee found it all to be Disorienting, and a bit Claustrophobic so After walking up the First couple of Flights He was Praying the Next Apartment They came to would be Dizzy’s.

       

“One More Flight and We’ll be there,” said Dizzy a bit Winded and Wanting a Cigarette, “Oh fucking really?! REALLY? What The HELL! After all the indiscretions I have had to Suffer Today I come Home to This?! Who wants to deal with fucking Junkies and Their Junkie Bullshit No One thats Who!’

Lee had to Strain to see around Dizzy for a view of what it Exactly it was that was causing Dizzy this Sudden Distress. There Precariously Peached at the Top of the last Flight of Stairs Lee would have to Endure was what Lee assumed was the Junkie Dizzy was set off by.

The Junkie was Slumped so Far Forward it looked like He was trying to suck His own dick right there on the Stirs. His Long Dark Brown Hair was so Matted that it has Started to Naturally form Dreadlocks which smelled like the Dumpster Water (the collection of Various Fluids leaking from Trash Bags that sink to the Bottom of a Dumpster and Stagnate Purifying until its Emptied). He was wearing a Winter Jacket that Lee thought looked like a Trench Coat for a Cold Weather Climate as He assumed it was made out of Wool or perhaps Tweed. Surprisingly enough the Junkie was Barefoot and His feet were Black from the Dirt and Grime of the World Outside. That combined with the Fact the Junkies Toe Nails were Thick, Yellowed, and Over grown made His feet look like those of a Werewolf.

       

Tune In Next Week For The Next Idiosyncratic Installment of………

LEE JONITIS: PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE WATCHER (41/365)

Thanks for Reading,

  By Les Sober