CA/Canada - Elisa Lam - 21 years old - Los Angeles/Vancouver - 31-Jan-2013 - #2

[OCSlacker]

any links as to his mugshot or record? i couldn't find it myself when googling, thanks.

If you do a Google search for his name & Los Angeles you will see a link for sorarchives.com that's the one with his mugshot

 

[DR006]

I kind of hate going on her tumblr. I am no stranger to depression and I can relate to so much of what she says about it. It sounds like she really was looking forward to a new start in CA and she never had the chance. She mentioned a few times that uni wasn't the place for her. Sometimes people just aren't meant for conventional academia, but she was very smart and could have gone far. I live near Santa Cruz and it's a really lovely place. I wish she could have made it there.

 

[Hazel]

Could a "drive pilgrimage" be a window shopping trip on Rodeo Drive? She was very into the fashion scene.

"Drive" is the name of the movie. I watched the movie, but can't think of any relevance to 'pilgrimage' other than old hotel. Girl's husband was being released from jail. Soundtrack "A Real Hero"

Watch on YouTube = http://youtu.be/9Ldo1rQGD9E

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ldo1rQGD9E"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ldo1rQGD9E[/ame]

 

[SplishSplash]

I think it's safe to say she probably did a fair amount of wandering around on her travels. If she really doesn't sleep as much as she has written about...what would she be doing holed up in her tiny hotel room all that time with no wifi? I'm sure LE knows who she spent time with there.

A VERY common side effect of Effexor (and most SSRI's) and Wellbutrin (which technically is NOT an SSRI) is insomnia. I would have to agree with you. :waitasec:

 

[margarita25]

See wolf dreamer's video report!!
[ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198048"]http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198048[/ame]

 

[Sillybilly]

Sorry if this post is landing at random, but just wanting to repost some MSM info from Thread 1 to clarify some things that are getting fuzzy:

Re the cell phone:
From:
http://www.examiner.com/article/elisa-lam-canadian-tourist-missing-los-angeles

"She was in contact with her parents daily up until the 31st," said LAPD Lt. Walter Teague during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon. …. During the press conference, Teague was asked about Lam's cell phone. "I don't want to talk about the cell phone, right now, very much, we have some of her property and she was in regular contact with her parents until 6 days ago," said Teague.

From Tarabull’s post in Thread 1:
[ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8820789&postcount=25"]Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - Found Deceased CA/Canada - Elisa Lam - 21 years old - Los Angeles/Vancouver - 31-Jan-2013[/ame]

In the video at this link the reporter closes by saying (paraphrasing) her cell phone was left behind at the hotel and it should help put together a timeline:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/los-ang...oman-1.1145848

Re who contacted LAPD about Elisa's disappearance:

From my post in Thread 1:
[ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8911695&postcount=1025"]Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - Found Deceased CA/Canada - Elisa Lam - 21 years old - Los Angeles/Vancouver - 31-Jan-2013[/ame]

It wasn't the hotel that contacted police. Elisa's family contacted RCMP after they hadn't heard from her. RCMP contacted LAPD:

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/questio...#ixzz2LfogbcdO

"Lam’s family first contacted the RCMP about their missing daughter, and the Canadian force contacted the L.A. Police Department. While there are about 3,200 missing person cases in L.A. every year, police there handled Lam's case differently because it’s an international case."

HTH

 

[Sillybilly]

"Drive" is the name of the movie.

I know about the movie, but thought it was not clear what she was referring to by a simple reference on a small postcard.

A pilgrimage is a walk, and IMO could possibly meaning a shopping spree in girlfriend speak.

 

[InciteRevolution]

According to Elisa's Tumblr, she was in San Diego on Jan. 27, the day of the "Speakeasy" posts on both Tumblr and Twitter. I'm thinking she was referring to this place in the San Diego Gaslamp District: http://gaslampspeakeasy.com

I seriously doubt Elisa left her hotel at night in downtown L.A., at least not by herself. The surrounding neighborhood is very sketchy, and I'm sure she was spooked (and maybe even pushed towards a psychotic break?) during daytime hours by its signature uber-aggressive panhandlers. I know the most harrowing half-block walk of my life occurred at dusk, outside The Standard Hotel in the same neighborhood. I parked my car on the back side of the building, and had to walk around the front to get to it. The minute I stepped outside the lobby, a scraggly, crazy-eyed Skid Row resident literally got in my face and wouldn't leave until I left the sidewalk and entered the fenced-in parking area. I've encountered my share of street life, but this was by far the most frightening experience I've ever had. There was no doubt in my mind this guy had nothing to lose, and probably didn't have the mental faculties to realize it even if he did have something to lose. Downtown L.A. is heavily populated by such outcasts and untreated mentally ill. The California government can't afford to care for a fraction of the mentally ill who populate the state, and many authorities from surrounding counties routinely drive to Skid Row to literally dump people that they have no room or resources or interest to care for. It is undoubtedly one of the least safe places in America. Just look at two of the people who popped up in the first thread--the bookstore owner who encountered Elisa and talked to the media about it, and the wild-haired (OK, that's an understatement) reporter who is "on the case" via Youtube. Both men live in the neighborhood, and both are convicted sex offenders. Lovely locals Elisa could have turned to in a dire situation, for sure.

No offense, but this is a laughably embellished depiction of the "sketchiness" of DTLA. I lived in LA for 8 years (including DTLA in the 501 W Olympic building by FIDM for over 1.5 years), and it's not nearly as harrowing as many of you are making it out to be -- ESPECIALLY the area around the Standard. Yes, Main Street has its fair share of bums, but it's not some kind of proverbial death trap.

 

[Turk February]

Re who contacted LAPD about Elisa's disappearance:

From my post in Thread 1:
Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - Found Deceased CA/Canada - Elisa Lam - 21 years old - Los Angeles/Vancouver - 31-Jan-2013



HTH[/QUOTE]


Wait wait, I could of swore that it was reported the Desk Clerk called the LAPD as well when Elisa Lam didn't check back to sign out and leave the hotel on February 1st.

Unless you mean it was Elisa's family that first contacted the RCMP/LAPD first, and then the Desk Clerk after.

It would be strange if the Desk Clerk didn't call the authorities if a guest did not report back to the lobby before they were scheduled to leave, to take their luggage out of the hotel room and then check out of the hotel.

 

[Turk February]

A VERY common side effect of Effexor (and most SSRI's) and Wellbutrin (which technically is NOT an SSRI) is insomnia. I would have to agree with you. :waitasec:

On one of her tweets/instagram photos, I recall her mentioning experiencing insomnia.

https://twitter.com/lambetes


Find the tweets on dates -

Jun 22
bloody insomnia again
(also, please pay attention to who Elisa re-tweeted under that tweet...)



Also, two more insomnia tweets before that -

May 4
Still awake...#insomnia

May 3
insomnia strikes again

 

[Ruth&Montgomery]

Wow, finally caught up reading again. You guys post faster than I can read.. if I take off half the day to get stuff done, I have to spend hours catching up!

For the person who was looking for the review stating someone was watching a girl shower through the vents, it is here 8th review down, posted 10/23/2011 by M*** (I edited the name just in case we aren't allowed to post usernames from Yelp.. still learning about the posting policies of this site..):

http://www.yelp.com/biz/stay-on-main-los-angeles

"SOMEONE WAS WATCHING ME SHOWER from the attached bathroom through the vent. YES, I saw someone watching me shave my damn legs through the vent. The doors are set up so that you can't just bust the door open...the person in the bathroom has their own lock on their door. I don't know if it was an employee or a guest, but it's SO ridiculous. They comped one night of my two night stay. Thanks a lot, *******s. I hope there isn't a video of me somewhere on the internet in some foreign country of me shaving my legs in Los Angeles."

 

[SplishSplash]

It is also worth noting here that certain SSRI's (most) can cause a lack of appetite that causes (or arguably directly causes) a Vitamin B2 deficiency. Vitamin B2 deficiency causes lack of feeling in your limbs (having your feet up to a fire and ending up with third degree burns without noticing), dizziness, vision problems, and even MORE insomnia. (Just thinking outloud here)

 

[californiared3]

The latest from Chinese media outlets:

2月23日，洛杉矶警方在约谈了部分员工后，锁定了一名塞西尔酒店职员为重大嫌疑人。此人握有蓝可儿房间的钥匙，理论上可随时进入房间作案。另外，媒体披露称塞西尔酒店曾于2月14日做过水质检查，结果为一切正常。因此凶手有可能了解酒店的管理模式及水质检查的时间表，故意藏匿尸体两周，待检查结束后再将尸体扔入水箱。

On February 23, the Los Angeles police interviewed some employees locked a Cecil hotel staff as a major suspect. This person holds blue children room key, in theory, may at any time enter the room to committing the crime. In addition, media reports said the Cecil Hotel water quality checks done on February 14, the result is all normal. Therefore murderer might understand the hotel management mode and water quality inspection schedule, deliberately hiding the bodies of two weeks, to be checked after the end of the bodies thrown into the water tank.

Source: http://news.qq.com/a/20130224/000562.htm

 

[Ruth&Montgomery]

A comment about her eyesight: I'm 3/4 of the way to legally blind, and without my glasses, I would have clearly been able to see which button was my floor number, and which one was the door hold button, at the distance her face was from the buttons. I also have a friend who is about 7/8 of the way to legally blind, and I'm sure she would be able to make out the buttons if her head was 6" to a foot away as well.

Also, if I was being followed, and I was blind as a bat, I would make damn sure I put my head 1 inch away from the buttons to ensure I pressed the right floor number and make triple sure I did not press 'door hold.' I don't think she pushed all the buttons due to poor vision.

 

[BlazerJH]

The game Left 4 Dead is mentioned on her Tumblr. I don't know anything about it, but by searching on Google I learned a bit more. It is very violent and apparently it is set in an apartment and you can climb on the fire escapes, use elevators, access the rooftop, etc.

This leaves open the possibility that she was having some sort of break from reality or vivid dream and thought that she was playing the game, especially if she played it frequently in real life. One part of the description under the "No Mercy Campaign The Apartments" of this page is especially spooky to me, especially if you watch the YouTube video and how similar the layout of the rooftop is to the one in the game (of course this could be said for thousands of city rooftops I'm sure):

http://www.mahalo.com/left-4-dead-walkthrough/

"1.You start off on the rooftop of an apartment building. Grab either the pump-action shotgun or the submachine gun and a health pack in front of you. It's really personal preference on which one to take, either weapon will serve you well.

2.Head through the door on the center of the roof and down the stairs.

3.Note: You can also jump down the skylight directly behind the weapons cabinet into the apartment, but doing so leads to a greater risk of being surrounded by zombies as soon as you land."

Here is the YouTube video of gameplay on the apartment roof (warning, graphic video game violence):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SQVuiRWEiRc#!

Is it possible that she thought the opening on top of the water tank was a skylight behind the weapons cabinet on the rooftop? Could she have removed the cover and jumped in, thinking that was a shortcut into this fantasy apartment in the game she was "playing" in her mind?

It could also be that she was "playing" this game on the elevator and thought there were zombies or teammates nearby her, hence her strange behaviors on the elevator.

If she was found with her clothes on and the cover on the tank was already removed, I would think this "video game fantasy" could be a slight possibility.

If she was found without her clothes on and/or the cover on the tank was in place, I would think the possibility of foul play and being placed in the tank by someone else is much more likely. LE obviously knows more about the condition of her body and the location of the tank cover than they are releasing to the public, so we are only left to speculate about those details.

 

[SplishSplash]

The latest from Chinese media outlets:

. Therefore murderer might understand the hotel management mode and water quality inspection schedule, deliberately hiding the bodies of two weeks, to be checked after the end of the bodies thrown into the water tank.

Source: http://news.qq.com/a/20130224/000562.htm

I feel the hotel staff is incredibly suspect. Are they being held? Questioned? Do we even know? I am disgusted at the lack of coverage this is getting even on alternative news sites other than WS.

 

[SplishSplash]

The game Left 4 Dead is mentioned on her Tumblr. I don't know anything about it, but by searching on Google I learned a bit more. It is very violent and apparently it is set in an apartment and you can climb on the fire escapes, use elevators, access the rooftop, etc.

This leaves open the possibility that she was having some sort of break from reality or vivid dream and thought that she was playing the game, especially if she played it frequently in real life.

Is it possible that she thought the opening on top of the water tank was a skylight behind the weapons cabinet on the rooftop? Could she have removed the cover and jumped in, thinking that was a shortcut into this fantasy apartment in the game she was "playing" in her mind?

It could also be that she was "playing" this game on the elevator and thought there were zombies or teammates nearby her, hence her strange behaviors on the elevator.

If she was found with her clothes on and the cover on the tank was already removed, I would think this "video game fantasy" could be a slight possibility.

If she was found without her clothes on and/or the cover on the tank was in place, I would think the possibility of foul play and being placed in the tank by someone else is much more likely. LE obviously knows more about the condition of her body and the location of the tank cover than they are releasing to the public, so we are only left to speculate about those details.

If you want to run with the theory of Ambien/Sonata/Scopalomine for a moment, yes this is totally reasonable. My problem with the Ambien/Sonota (both hypnotic sleep aids) is that she would be SO disoriented she would not appear nearly as composed as she does in the video.

Scopalomine is a different animal alltogether. A little googling will explain why. That drug is truly the most terrifying thing since GHB.

 

[Turk February]

A comment about her eyesight: I'm 3/4 of the way to legally blind, and without my glasses, I would have clearly been able to see which button was my floor number, and which one was the door hold button, at the distance her face was from the buttons. I also have a friend who is about 7/8 of the way to legally blind, and I'm sure she would be able to make out the buttons if her head was 6" to a foot away as well.

Also, if I was being followed, and I was blind as a bat, I would make damn sure I put my head 1 inch away from the buttons to ensure I pressed the right floor number and make triple sure I did not press 'door hold.' I don't think she pushed all the buttons due to poor vision.

What if she was really short sighted? I'm sure eye conditions vary differently among many people.

 

[Ruth&Montgomery]

Does anyone know if, based on knowledge of previous cases, the LE could potentially withhold the results of the second autopsy, which were supposed to be determined in 4-6 weeks? ie. If they choose to not make it public, we may never know those results? I'm kind of anxiously waiting for more info like that to be released.

The LE withholding of info reminds me of another case that happened close to where I live now.. the Wendy Ladner Beaudry case, of which I don't think a thread on Websleuths has been made. But the case is similarly very strange and perplexing, raising many more questions than answers, and the LE has been extremely tight-lipped for 3+ years since it happened.

 

[Turk February]

The game Left 4 Dead is mentioned on her Tumblr. I don't know anything about it, but by searching on Google I learned a bit more. It is very violent and apparently it is set in an apartment and you can climb on the fire escapes, use elevators, access the rooftop, etc.

This leaves open the possibility that she was having some sort of break from reality or vivid dream and thought that she was playing the game, especially if she played it frequently in real life. One part of the description under the "No Mercy Campaign The Apartments" of this page is especially spooky to me, especially if you watch the YouTube video and how similar the layout of the rooftop is to the one in the game (of course this could be said for thousands of city rooftops I'm sure):

http://www.mahalo.com/left-4-dead-walkthrough/

"1.You start off on the rooftop of an apartment building. Grab either the pump-action shotgun or the submachine gun and a health pack in front of you. It's really personal preference on which one to take, either weapon will serve you well.

2.Head through the door on the center of the roof and down the stairs.

3.Note: You can also jump down the skylight directly behind the weapons cabinet into the apartment, but doing so leads to a greater risk of being surrounded by zombies as soon as you land."

Here is the YouTube video of gameplay on the apartment roof (warning, graphic video game violence):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SQVuiRWEiRc#!

Is it possible that she thought the opening on top of the water tank was a skylight behind the weapons cabinet on the rooftop? Could she have removed the cover and jumped in, thinking that was a shortcut into this fantasy apartment in the game she was "playing" in her mind?

It could also be that she was "playing" this game on the elevator and thought there were zombies or teammates nearby her, hence her strange behaviors on the elevator.

If she was found with her clothes on and the cover on the tank was already removed, I would think this "video game fantasy" could be a slight possibility.

If she was found without her clothes on and/or the cover on the tank was in place, I would think the possibility of foul play and being placed in the tank by someone else is much more likely. LE obviously knows more about the condition of her body and the location of the tank cover than they are releasing to the public, so we are only left to speculate about those details.

An interesting scenario, but not likely.

CBSLA - the news outlet based in Los Angeles first broke the news live via aerial coverage on the rooftops, reporting a maintenance worker discovering Elisa Lam's body in the water tank (they didn't identify her body as Elisa in the beginning, just said a woman's body) and said that the body inside was nude, and floating face up in the 3/4 full water tank.

And besides that, you're missing one crucial point:

How did Elisa Lam get up the rooftops if the door is locked and secure with an alarm system?



I would like to ask this person as well, figuring out how they managed to get up the rooftops on Feb.14th 2012 -

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K-UQP2fPyc"]Cecil Hotel - YouTube[/ame]