What Do You Want to Know?: List Questions Here

[Tuffgong]

My question is why does anybody think this is anything other than a suicide? There is no other plausible theory?

 

[Userid]

My question is why does anybody think this is anything other than a suicide? There is no other plausible theory?

It's either a suicide or an accident. Those are honestly the only two probable theories. I lean toward accident. In either scenario, she got in on her own accord.

 

[ripley666]

My question is why does anybody think this is anything other than a suicide? There is no other plausible theory?

I would accept a simple cause of death like suicide, mental disorder or accident if it weren’t for the approximate 54 – 55 seconds of footage that appears to be missing from the elevator video, and the time stamp appears to be blurred out, with the footage slowed down. There are just too many suspicious unexplained variables and loose ends.

 

[Userid]

I would accept a simple cause of death like suicide, mental disorder or accident if it weren’t for the approximate 54 – 55 seconds of footage that appears to be missing from the elevator video, and the time stamp appears to be blurred out, with the footage slowed down. There are just too many suspicious unexplained variables and loose ends.

That footage is missing in order to conceal the identity of other patrons of the building -- who had absolutely no connection to this case and were innocent bystanders -- who just so happened to enter the elevator during that time. This is standard police protocol when it comes to protecting the identities of innocent bystanders.

The time stamp isn't blurred out; it's just crappy reception of a crappy elevator camera of a crappy hotel.

This is a simple piece of advice: there is a lot of garbage out there that is trying (either purposefully or ignorantly) to perpetuate the notion that this is some "mystery." It isn't. Don't buy everything you hear.

 

[ripley666]

That footage is missing in order to conceal the identity of other patrons of the building -- who had absolutely no connection to this case and were innocent bystanders -- who just so happened to enter the elevator during that time. This is standard police protocol when it comes to protecting the identities of innocent bystanders.

The time stamp isn't blurred out; it's just crappy reception of a crappy elevator camera of a crappy hotel.

This is a simple piece of advice: there is a lot of garbage out there that is trying (either purposefully or ignorantly) to perpetuate the notion that this is some "mystery." It isn't. Don't buy everything you hear.

Do you have any sources supporting that the footage was altered to conceal identity of bystanders? I’m happy to accept it if that’s the case but I haven’t found any evidence.
As the video was taken at night it seems unlikely there were many people around, also it appears the elevator doors weren’t closing and that only a minute is missing so I doubt somebody else entered the elevator.

 

[Userid]

Do you have any sources supporting that the footage was altered to conceal identity of bystanders? I’m happy to accept it if that’s the case but I haven’t found any evidence.
As the video was taken at night it seems unlikely there were many people around, also it appears the elevator doors weren’t closing and that only a minute is missing so I doubt somebody else entered the elevator.

I'm sorry, but you'll have to dig around the threads in this forum. It's definitely here, I just can't remember which particular thread, and I don't have the time to scrounge for it and it was discussed long ago. Just a few tidbits: it wasn't even past midnight, so to say that's "late" is a bit of a stretch, especially for a large hotel that was part hostel, in the second biggest city in America and arguably the most popular, tourist-wise.

I'll give it the old college try to find the source; if I find it, I'll reply, but like I said, just scrounge around here.

 

[Userid]

Do you have any sources supporting that the footage was altered to conceal identity of bystanders? I’m happy to accept it if that’s the case but I haven’t found any evidence.
As the video was taken at night it seems unlikely there were many people around, also it appears the elevator doors weren’t closing and that only a minute is missing so I doubt somebody else entered the elevator.

So, I just realized that, I could just use the source you yourself provided: The Elisa Lam mystery: Still no answers | Daily Maverick

"The innocent explanation could be that police to enable the public to see Lam better for identification purposes, slowed the footage down and that less useful footage – perhaps of an unrelated elevator passenger – was edited out."

But I am still trying to find the source that was provided in this forum when the story broke years ago, as it was a better source, if memory serves. I believe it was a LA newspaper article where the police actually say that is why part of the video is removed. Perhaps that may be unsatisfactory, if one thinks the police are involved in some huge conspiracy to cover up the death of a random Canadian college student. But I'll try to find it if I have time; no luck yet.

 

[Userid]

So I've been combing threads, yet can't find the exact source, although I did find this (another poster mentioning it, with me responding) from a while back:

What Do You Want to Know?: List Questions Here

There is also a video that shows a tourist accessing the roof via the "alarmed" door, where the alarm doesn't go off. You'll see that referenced a lot here; and the source should be here somewhere.

I really am sorry that I can't provide the direct sources; it's just been a very long time since those sources have been found.

 

[ripley666]

"The innocent explanation could be that police to enable the public to see Lam better for identification purposes, slowed the footage down and that less useful footage – perhaps of an unrelated elevator passenger – was edited out."

The LA police already had already provided the public with clear identification for Lam when they distributed her photograph on February 6th, releasing the video 8 days later. It doesn’t make sense that they would edit out 58 seconds of an already short video for not being useful. It also doesn’t seem likely that within 58 seconds a person went around Lam, entered the lift, managed to close the doors, used the lift, and then the lift returned to Lams floor.
It’s all complete speculation anyhow whether you prefer the innocent explanation or non. I’d prefer much simpler explanations but this isn’t exactly a simple case

 

[Userid]

The LA police already had already provided the public with clear identification for Lam when they distributed her photograph on February 6th, releasing the video 8 days later. It doesn’t make sense that they would edit out 58 seconds of an already short video for not being useful. It also doesn’t seem likely that within 58 seconds a person went around Lam, entered the lift, managed to close the doors, used the lift, and then the lift returned to Lams floor.
It’s all complete speculation anyhow whether you prefer the innocent explanation or non. I’d prefer much simpler explanations but this isn’t exactly a simple case

I don't understand why you'd say that. There is a perfectly reasonable explanation why the 58 seconds was removed: because people who had nothing to do with the disappearance had entered the elevator. I don't know where you getting that the people who entered "returned to Lam's floor." There's no way in knowing where the 2 guys took the elevator once they got on; they could have traveled one floor either way for all we know.

Also, the video was released by the police because, they were completely clueless as to what happened to her. Yes, they released the photo, but that didn't garner any tips, so they had to release the footage; so they did so. The video shows exactly how she looks -- clothes, etc. -- and is a much better tool to use than one lone picture, obviously, so I don't really get the point you're trying to make there either, respectfully.

It isn't speculation that 2 men got on. That was reported.

 

[Julie61]

I have some questions, possibly repeating a few already on here, for which I apologize in advance.

1. Let's say I am Elisa Lam. I want to kill myself. I'm in my hotel room. What is the least likely means of suicide I would choose? In the nighttime, in the dark? Probably deciding to go through an alarmed (or at least marked as such, whether the alarm really sounded or not I as Elisa wouldn't have any reason to doubt) door to the roof, then once up there, not jump off the roof, not take an overdoes of my meds and then jump off the roof, but to see there are four what seem to be inaccessible cisterns up a ladder, and decide that I needed to climb up there, figure out how to open the top, figure out how to get into the cistern, and then get in there, close the lid (I'm still not clear if the lid was open or closed), take off all my clothes in the water, and drown myself. Really? And don't say "oh she had a mental illness" cause I just don't buy it. Far far too complicated.

2. Let's say I don't want to kill myself. I'm bored and exploring alone, at night, in a seedy LA hotel. Where would I probably avoid, in general? The roof, the giant cisterns, etc, etc.

3. I think this next one is a big question that a lot of people have asked, but really, it needs to be asked again. Why did the LA police release the elevator video? What on earth purpose could it serve? It doesn't help find a missing person, doesn't help with the investigation, I honestly can't imagine why that was released. And along with this question, why didn't they release other surveillance videos from the hotel and the streets around the hotel? I mean, as long as they're releasing videos, why not show them all?

4. I read that the autopsy stated that there was no trauma to her body that would have indicated a struggle. That seems off. From what I've read about drowning, the body would have a lot of trauma, from thrashing around and trying NOT to drown which is what drowning people do.

5. It seems very odd that no one has ever provided any kind of interview with the roommates who had Elisa in their room before she "acted odd" and got moved to a private room. How do we know they even existed, or that such a complaint was made? Everything feels like hearsay. The only people who seem to have ever been interviewed from the hotel were those who were asked about drinking the water, in those kind of sensationalized t.v. news reports. Where are the missing roommates?

That's all for now. Thank you!

 

[Userid]

I have some questions, possibly repeating a few already on here, for which I apologize in advance.

1. Let's say I am Elisa Lam. I want to kill myself. I'm in my hotel room. What is the least likely means of suicide I would choose? In the nighttime, in the dark? Probably deciding to go through an alarmed (or at least marked as such, whether the alarm really sounded or not I as Elisa wouldn't have any reason to doubt) door to the roof, then once up there, not jump off the roof, not take an overdoes of my meds and then jump off the roof, but to see there are four what seem to be inaccessible cisterns up a ladder, and decide that I needed to climb up there, figure out how to open the top, figure out how to get into the cistern, and then get in there, close the lid (I'm still not clear if the lid was open or closed), take off all my clothes in the water, and drown myself. Really? And don't say "oh she had a mental illness" cause I just don't buy it. Far far too complicated.

2. Let's say I don't want to kill myself. I'm bored and exploring alone, at night, in a seedy LA hotel. Where would I probably avoid, in general? The roof, the giant cisterns, etc, etc.

3. I think this next one is a big question that a lot of people have asked, but really, it needs to be asked again. Why did the LA police release the elevator video? What on earth purpose could it serve? It doesn't help find a missing person, doesn't help with the investigation, I honestly can't imagine why that was released. And along with this question, why didn't they release other surveillance videos from the hotel and the streets around the hotel? I mean, as long as they're releasing videos, why not show them all?

4. I read that the autopsy stated that there was no trauma to her body that would have indicated a struggle. That seems off. From what I've read about drowning, the body would have a lot of trauma, from thrashing around and trying NOT to drown which is what drowning people do.

5. It seems very odd that no one has ever provided any kind of interview with the roommates who had Elisa in their room before she "acted odd" and got moved to a private room. How do we know they even existed, or that such a complaint was made? Everything feels like hearsay. The only people who seem to have ever been interviewed from the hotel were those who were asked about drinking the water, in those kind of sensationalized t.v. news reports. Where are the missing roommates?

That's all for now. Thank you!

1. You're assuming the suicide (if it was such) was pre-planned. This most likely was not a pre-planned event at all.

2. The roof is the first place I would go, if I was feeling adventurous. Have you never snuck on a rooftop at a hotel? This is quite common, especially in a big city, where the view would be spectacular.

3. They released the video in order to get the public's help in finding EL. And yes, it does help; and is beyond common among police departments. It's not like LAPD was the first one to ever release a video of a missing person with the intent to garner the public's help. And they didn't release any other videos, because there are no other videos; she went from the elevator to the tank, and they wanted to release video of what she was last wearing.

4. This is a bit anecdotal on your part. There was zero trauma: scrapes, bruising, cuts, wounds, etc.

5. Why would police release that interview? You question police in releasing the video, but then question why they didn't release their written interviews? That would not have helped them find her at all, but the video, which shows what she looked like the last time she was seen, certainly would. The police is clearly concerned with protecting their identities; they did the same thing when they edited part of the video, when other patrons of the hotel (not in any way connected to the disappearance, but who were simply staying there) entered the hotel -- to protect their identities.

 

[gethaunted]

1. You're assuming the suicide (if it was such) was pre-planned. This most likely was not a pre-planned event at all.

2. The roof is the first place I would go, if I was feeling adventurous. Have you never snuck on a rooftop at a hotel? This is quite common, especially in a big city, where the view would be spectacular.

3. They released the video in order to get the public's help in finding EL. And yes, it does help; and is beyond common among police departments. It's not like LAPD was the first one to ever release a video of a missing person with the intent to garner the public's help. And they didn't release any other videos, because there are no other videos; she went from the elevator to the tank, and they wanted to release video of what she was last wearing.

4. This is a bit anecdotal on your part. There was zero trauma: scrapes, bruising, cuts, wounds, etc.

5. Why would police release that interview? You question police in releasing the video, but then question why they didn't release their written interviews? That would not have helped them find her at all, but the video, which shows what she looked like the last time she was seen, certainly would. The police is clearly concerned with protecting their identities; they did the same thing when they edited part of the video, when other patrons of the hotel (not in any way connected to the disappearance, but who were simply staying there) entered the hotel -- to protect their identities.

Lam's Instagram featured multiple rooftop photos, so I think it's reasonable to infer that she was just being adventurous/sightseeing

 

[AshenRomeo]

well it's been explained why the video starts and stops and appears to be manipulated... real quick it was a motion camera that stops when there's nothing to record and the police edited out two men that had nothing to do with Elisa Lam... even in regular speed it's still clear there's something wrong with her, but the police slowed it down when first released so people viewing it would have a better chance to recognize her.

Remember when it (the video) was released she was a missing person, her antics were not what we were supposed to focus on they wanted the public to hopefully recognize her and hopefully give them a lead to find her...

the rest, it's all a matter of opinion, I go by the autopsy results and the drugs in her system, what they were for and more importantly the ones that were not there that should have been to keep her on an even keel.. anybody that has not read the full autopsy report should, it's a fascinating read and gives a clearer picture of her life and what she was going through leading up to that night.

Why not pixelate or block the faces of the two men instead? I would be interested how EL acted towards these two men.

 

[Userid]

Why not pixelate or block the faces of the two men instead? I would be interested how EL acted towards these two men.

She didn't share the elevator with the two men. There would have been absolutely no point to release that part of the video. She had already exited when they got on.

 

[AshenRomeo]

I see. Thank you.

 

[Maldoror]

I remember reading that Elisa Lam was initially placed in a room with roommates, but was subsequently moved to her own private room after others complained about her "eccentric behaviour". I'd like to know what exactly she did that caused the others to request the change. It might not be pertinent to the case, but I'm curious.

 

[Userid]

I remember reading that Elisa Lam was initially placed in a room with roommates, but was subsequently moved to her own private room after others complained about her "eccentric behaviour". I'd like to know what exactly she did that caused the others to request the change. It might not be pertinent to the case, but I'm curious.

Yes. Fairly certain that is indeed true, because if memory serves, it was somewhere in the police report. They never went in depth as to what exactly she was doing that caused the others to feel uncomfortable, but it was enough for them to notify staff and request her to be moved.

 

[fridaybaker]

One water tank in one hotel would not be adequate to spread the disease. There are a couple of coincidences in this case -- one of them being she shares the same name as the test -- but I don't believe in this conspiracy theory.

Just checking in here after a LONG time. The "Lam-Elisa" test was something that I was astounded by at first, because I was aware of the test and could hardly believe in such a coincidence. There is also the creepiness of the hotel Cecil, and I wondered "why in the world would a young woman stay here, of all places... alone?". I have to say, the Cecil hotel isn't anywhere on my list of places to stay at any time. Ever. However, if one goes through this case carefully, I really have to conclude that this was a very sad case of a woman who had a break with reality. In that case, it's not at all surprising to me that she would wind up in the water tank.

She was fascinated with the roof -who wouldn't be- it probably had a great view! Checked out of reality and likely on a bipolar "high", thought the water tank inviting.

I will say this, though: I read an account of a movie that was made in/about the hotel, wherein the actress is dressed similarly to Ms. Lam. If that's the case, that is incredibly coincidental. Coincidences do exist in this world, though. Many of them. Just my two cents.

And a post-script: That list of medications she was on, all simultaneously apparently, is stunning to me. They are pretty much all big guns. We don't know the dosages, of course, but if all were prescribed for mental health diagnoses, then she was seriously ill. MOO.

 

[Userid]

Just checking in here after a LONG time. The "Lam-Elisa" test was something that I was astounded by at first, because I was aware of the test and could hardly believe in such a coincidence. There is also the creepiness of the hotel Cecil, and I wondered "why in the world would a young woman stay here, of all places... alone?". I have to say, the Cecil hotel isn't anywhere on my list of places to stay at any time. Ever. However, if one goes through this case carefully, I really have to conclude that this was a very sad case of a woman who had a break with reality. In that case, it's not at all surprising to me that she would wind up in the water tank.

She was fascinated with the roof -who wouldn't be- it probably had a great view! Checked out of reality and likely on a bipolar "high", thought the water tank inviting.

I will say this, though: I read an account of a movie that was made in/about the hotel, wherein the actress is dressed similarly to Ms. Lam. If that's the case, that is incredibly coincidental. Coincidences do exist in this world, though. Many of them. Just my two cents.

And a post-script: That list of medications she was on, all simultaneously apparently, is stunning to me. They are pretty much all big guns. We don't know the dosages, of course, but if all were prescribed for mental health diagnoses, then she was seriously ill. MOO.

Right, the roof is a logical place for any person to want to explore. I know I've done it -- went to the roof of a hotel and looked over a city -- it's incredible; you're doing something you're not supposed to, which is a bit exhilarating, etc.

Also, EL also loved a video game where you travel through either water pipes or water tanks, or both. I'm fuzzy on the details now, but I remember someone saying this. She had something on her tumblr about it. If you scrounge through the threads here, you'll find it, but it was quite a while ago that it was discussed.