CA/Canada - Elisa Lam - 21 years old - Los Angeles/Vancouver - 31-Jan-2013 - #5

[FutzBucket]

Thanks, but I didn't mean whether you thought it was a safe place to work (it is certainly unappealing to say the least!). I meant: Is that description of what night auditors do/have access to fairly accurate, in your experience? Can you tell us a little more about this line of work? (Not that I'm trying to pin EL's death on a night auditor per se, mind you, but I do lean toward the theory that she was killed by an employee.) Thanks for your insight.

Professionally, I would assume someone bought them out, brought in some fresh management who wanted to clean the image, and they fired their old auditor and security.

And they hired some "fresh faced" security who can smile and say "Welcome!" and they hired a kid to lead a house of manics.

 

[No Joe Friday]

I think you're over analyzing. What's more likely, that she hit the secret code of chemicals right in front of an elevator and flipped out, or that someone else manipulated the situation?

I'm fully aware that people can flip from a bad medication, and it happens.

This isn't what I see. I see rational behavior under irrational situations.

Kindly point out where I over-analyzed in that post and how it is less credible than the wild over-analyzing that has brought you to answers such as "She removed her contacts in the speakeasy because she was practically blind and was there for the music alone"

She could have been on drugs. Legal or illegal, taken by choice or not. I don't judge her for that at all. I don't see anyone else doing that here either.

You claim you are standing up for Elisa but I think you are really just standing up for your flawed concept. Consider that other people might be right on some thins and you might be wrong on some things if you really want to get somewhere. Copying and pasting your concept over and over and dismissing all other possibilities is not going to help this case get solved. It's about her, not about you.

 

[FiveFelines]

Professionally, I would assume someone bought them out, brought in some fresh management who wanted to clean the image, and they fired their old auditor and security.

And they hired some "fresh faced" security who can smile and say "Welcome!" and they hired a kid to lead a house of manics.

Thanks. I do believe the president of the management company has stated (in response to negative guest reviews) that he hired new staff when he took over.

So a night auditor watches the security monitors, correct? Can s/he typically access all areas of a hotel? Do night auditors have keys to all of the public areas and non-public areas (i.e. the door to the roof)? You mentioned that you'd want a gun. I assumed you were joking, but do night auditors actually carry any kind of weapon? Sorry for all the Qs. I know nothing about the profession and am curious.

 

[tapu]

I don't know what I'm going to do. I honestly think it's clean.

I'm going to try one more time and then I swear I'll leave you to it.

We know you "honestly think it's clean." And, hey, we're cool with that. But I hope you are in touch with the reality that whether you think it's clean or not has nothing whatsoever with whether it is clean or not.

I have opinions. Boy, do I have opinions. But I don't think they're going to have any effect on reality. And, so, I have no interest in making others think they're right. Certainly, not by assertion. Now, if I have some evidence, I might pursue discussion of it. What could it ever be in aid of for me to say, "No, I really really really really think I'm right."

 

[FutzBucket]

Kindly point out where I over-analyzed in that post and how it is less credible than the wild over-analyzing that has brought you to answers such as "She removed her contacts in the speakeasy because she was practically blind and was there for the music alone"

She could have been on drugs. Legal or illegal, taken by choice or not. I don't judge her for that at all. I don't see anyone else doing that here either.

You claim you are standing up for Elisa but I think you are really just standing up for your flawed concept. Consider that other people might be right on some thins and you might be wrong on some things if you really want to get somewhere. Copying and pasting your concept over and over and dismissing all other possibilities is not going to help this case get solved. It's about her, not about you.

How is it flawed?

 

[Xavier]

Let me find the link. I've been scouring all media updates and clearly remember reading it.

Several posters commented on the LAPD guests interviews, it's in the previous thread

 

[FutzBucket]

Okay, you all want me to give up my concept, but why? It freakin' fits!

Give me a reason. I'm starting to think that the real reason I'm upsetting you all, is because you're like me and can't figure out of it.

 

[SmilingSweetly]

I've read all of the threads on Elisa's case but rarely post. I'm curious, if she was due to check out on the 1st, was her room cleaned (and personal belongings taken to Lost & Found) or did they just leave the room the way it was? You'd think they'd have to go in there to clean the room. If they saw a laptop or other personal belongings... It would be obvious something was not right. Did they ignore that or was the room just not cleaned for a few days?

I don't think she harmed herself, but if she did and left a note - could it have been cleaned up by housekeeping (assuming they did go in)? If she did take her own life, maybe she took a cocktail of prescribed meds and got in the tank to ensure she didn't wake up and/or wasn't saved. Maybe she chose to commit suicide in another country so that her parents didn't have to deal with the body, etc. Maybe she left a note to explain things and its gone, causing the mystery. That could be why she scheduled the Tumblr posts the way she did.

What goes against suicide, I think, is that she had more stops to make and more sights to see. Why end your life at this point? Maybe the creepy hotel's history appealed to her. As others have posted, though, she seemed depressed but not suicidal. I guess you never really know. Meds can also cause people to do things they normally wouldn't. Also, if she was nude, where did her clothes go?

It is all just so sad and I can't wait for answers. Thank you to all who have kept this forum going - even without news. I've been addicted to it and I appreciate all who have contributed. I especially appreciate anansie's translations. They are amazing and very helpful!

 

[No Joe Friday]

How is it flawed?

Because it is full of wild speculation that you are asserting as fact. Such as suggesting that because Elisa posted on Tumblr about "well-dressed men" that she was a "good girl" who couldn't possibly be on drugs. Or suggesting that the Cecil is a place where if you "knock on the wrong door you'll probably end up dead". Or your original theory in which she swam around the tank avoiding a gunshot and taking off her own clothes to help her swim faster. Or insisting that she was it drugged or on drugs, which you have no way of knowing. Or asserting that she was "practically blind" without her glasses, which you have no way of knowing. Or that she took out her contacts at a speakeasy because she was so into the music that she didn't care. Or so on, there's plenty more.

These are all leaps of faith. And you have been banking on all of your wild speculation being absolutely true. Some of it might be, but there is no way to be as certain of these things as you are acting. Tapu is right on with "flights of fancy" -- your guesses aren't fact, no matter how hard you want to stick to your guns. Anyone could look at the video and write a timeline for it that made sense -- it does not mean that's absolutely what happened.

 

[No Joe Friday]

No, I don't, but someone's gotta take her side, and it might as well be me.

I'm sorry, but until this tox report comes back, you all got me. I'm gonna stand here and keep defending Elisa from thoughts that she was some drugy on some trip.

I think you are taking your own side, not hers.

 

[AlphaWolf]

I've read all of the threads on Elisa's case but rarely post. I'm curious, if she was due to check out on the 1st, was her room cleaned (and personal belongings taken to Lost & Found) or did they just leave the room the way it was? You'd think they'd have to go in there to clean the room. If they saw a laptop or other personal belongings... It would be obvious something was not right. Did they ignore that or was the room just not cleaned for a few days?

I don't think she harmed herself, but if she did and left a note - could it have been cleaned up by housekeeping (assuming they did go in)? If she did take her own life, maybe she took a cocktail of prescribed meds and got in the tank to ensure she didn't wake up and/or wasn't saved. Maybe she chose to commit suicide in another country so that her parents didn't have to deal with the body, etc. Maybe she left a note to explain things and its gone, causing the mystery. That could be why she scheduled the Tumblr posts the way she did.

What goes against suicide, I think, is that she had more stops to make and more sights to see. Why end your life at this point? Maybe the creepy hotel's history appealed to her. As others have posted, though, she seemed depressed but not suicidal. I guess you never really know. Meds can also cause people to do things they normally wouldn't. Also, if she was nude, where did her clothes go?

It is all just so sad and I can't wait for answers. Thank you to all who have kept this forum going - even without news. I've been addicted to it and I appreciate all who have contributed. I especially appreciate anansie's translations. They are amazing and very helpful!

One of the main factors against suicide would be...knowing if the tank doors were locked?

also, If there were no step ladders on the roof....that means she would have to climb up the red fixed ladder on the side of the 2 story storage room. Then Jump down onto the tank and open the tank door.



hmmmm......just really hard seeing Suicide......especially trying to wrap my mind around her knowing where the tanks are and how to get inside them.

 

[FutzBucket]

I think you are taking your own side, not hers.

And this means what to me?

 

[necco]

Okay, you all want me to give up my concept, but why? It freakin' fits!

Give me a reason. I'm starting to think that the real reason I'm upsetting you all, is because you're like me and can't figure out of it.

Why would she be dead set against touching a street drug yet find herself in an illegal speakeasy that was so smokey she'd need to remove her contacts? I would think someone who was staunchly anti-drug would avoid an illegal bar because of what else might be going on inside. That's incongruous to me.


(I think the speakeasy she went to was completely legal.)

 

[tapu]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRa9nDWdmZo&feature=youtu.be[/URL]

Wow, that was excellent! The filming, the voice-over, the organized and deliberate, paced presentation. I appreciate the work you did there. Thank you very much.

Oh, and from what's known, I have to say I favor your basic theory, too.

 

[summer_breeze]

HEY!!!

Let's go easy on each other please. We are all after the same thing here. The truth and justice, if justice is needed!

Please be kind and treat each other with respect. Your posts should not be about the poster, but about the contents of posts!

Kind regards,
~Summer_Breeze

 

[kingsway]

- I have been reading up on this fascinating case ( due in large part by finding this great site.....seriously, thank you to everyone who participates)

- always thought that "how she ended up inside the tank" was the most polarizing.

- I'm still not sure if the tank doors had locks on them.

I made a video showing how she could have ended up inside the tank, and how she fit through the tank door

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRa9nDWdmZo&feature=youtu.be

Nice video, was that you in the dummy demonstration? Elisa may have been carried inside a luggage case, can you test that out using the wall ladder? Did you try the fireman's carry using the dummy?

How likely is it that Elisa accidentally "slipped" into the water tank opening? While it may be easy to fit inside, I don't think it's easy to fall inside, especially with the metal pipes there which can be used for grip.

 

[SmilingSweetly]

One of the main factors against suicide would be...knowing if the tank doors were locked?

also, If there were no step ladders on the roof....that means she would have to climb up the red fixed ladder on the side of the 2 story storage room. Then Jump down onto the tank and open the tank door.



hmmmm......just really hard seeing Suicide......especially trying to wrap my mind around her knowing where the tanks are and how to get inside them.

I totally agree! I'm just so curious about how they handled her room... And if clues were wiped away.

 

[AlphaWolf]

Wow, that was excellent! The filming, the voice-over, the organized and deliberate, paced presentation. I appreciate the work you did there. Thank you very much.

Oh, and from what's known, I have to say I favor your basic theory, too.

Thanks...


I just thought I would try and help, I climb fixed roof ladders quite often....115lbs is too much to carry up by yourself.

especially leaving no obvious marks on the body.

 

[four_seasons]

Youtube video of Celic Hotel 14th floor.

Videotaped by 2 guys, 1 back guy and one asian guy
They check the water in the hotelroom and comment that the water is brown
They seem pretty aggitaed especially the asian guy who is filming, he seem like he is on speed or somthing,
(I could very well be wrong though concerning the speed thing)


The video was oploaded February 23, 2013, 4 days after Elisa Lam was found dead.

But that date is just the date the video was oploaded on Youtube, so I wonder what day exactly this video was made, and in what exact timeperiod thise two guys stayed at the Cecil Hotel?
The name (or nickname?) of the asian guy, I presume, is linked to the video profile.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uy-DCkM1Ntk

if i remember correctly, this is the one that was taken around july last year and the 14th floor has since been repainted and there's a mirror there. the original is posted on youtube.

 

[Xavier]

I can't help but see that Futzbucket rubs people the wrong way, and without doubt he is opinionated, to the point of being dogmatic.

But he did make an interesting comment, in that he is a night auditor at a hotel.

Never heard of that, so I searched it.

And found that night auditors quite often don't have a lot to do, don't have to report to anyone and can roam the hotel at will, know most of what goes on in a hotel at night, understand the seamier side of people, have keys to everywhere, watch security videos of everything in the hotel, and for the Cecil, no doubt can turn off the alarm to the roof door, and must have been up there to deal with water problems and rowdy people on the roof at night.

So I starting thinking, the night auditor at the Cecil Hotel could be a prime suspect, and did a search for night auditor, Cecil Hotel, LA.

"Front Desk Agent/Night Auditor (Former Employee), Los Angeles,Ca – August 13, 2012



Pros: n/a

Cons: location



The Hotel Cecil was kind of a scary place to work at. I held on to the job because I was trying to gain as much hospitality experience as I could because I knew that I wanted a career in Hospitality."

Wonder who the new night auditor is?

It can vary from hotel to hotel, but my hotel experience is at Hyatt hotel after midmight we had NA/Night Audit and Security working until the morning shift came in about 6am. and these were the only employees on staff in the hotel.

Security had a fair amount to do: they would walk the perimeter, lock unused doors, check elevators working properly, sometimes help guests check in/out, even deliver extra pillows, blankets, report any pertinent complaints, guest needs, etc
Security even had to electronically mark with a wand coordinates on their walk thru's, which let the hotel mgmt know by digital recording they were checking the hotel during the times they were supposed to be there

Night Audit had to reconcile all th eday's sales, expenses, employee hours worked and note variances. NA would also be the only employee to check in/out guests

IMO Night Audit would have no business or time to walk around the hotel, especially on a fairly busy on weekends. Young adults would come in from the bars all boozed up and rowdy with their booty call partner and get a room for just the night. But Security would have a ton of time to observe things in the hotel, it was a major part of their job

And Security and Night audit would each have a Master key ring with total access anywhere in the hotel, even occupied and unoccupied rooms