Timeline summary
Cause of death – Accidental drowning, with bipolar disorder as a significant condition
26 January 2013 – Elisa Lam arrives in Los Angeles
31 January – Last confirmed sighting at the Cecil Hotel
13 February – LAPD releases elevator video
19 February – Elisa Lam’s body discovered in a water tank
Introduction: the disappearance that gripped the world
In early 2013, the disappearance of Elisa Lam became a global obsession. A four-minute elevator video released by police showed the 21-year-old behaving erratically inside a Los Angeles hotel, and the footage quickly spread across the internet.
What followed was a flood of speculation. Online forums framed the case as paranormal or criminal. But when the evidence is examined carefully, the facts point to a far more grounded and heartbreaking reality involving mental illness, isolation, and a building with a deeply troubled past.
Who was Elisa Lam?
Elisa Lam was a 21-year-old university student from Vancouver, Canada, studying at the University of British Columbia. She was thoughtful, creative, and open about her struggles with mental health.
She kept a Tumblr blog titled Nouvelle-Nouveau, where she wrote candidly about depression, identity, and feeling disconnected. These posts are often misused as “clues”, but they are better understood as honest reflections of someone living with bipolar disorder.
In January 2013, Lam set out on a solo West Coast trip. Travelling on a budget, she booked accommodation at the Cecil Hotel, unaware of its long and troubling history.
The Cecil Hotel: a building with a violent past
The Cecil Hotel has long been associated with crime and tragedy. Over the decades, it housed individuals such as Richard Ramirez and Jack Unterweger.
By 2013, part of the building had been rebranded as “Stay on Main”, a budget-friendly hostel that obscured the hotel’s connection to Skid Row and its history of violence. This rebranding helps explain why a young student travelling alone would reasonably believe she was booking safe accommodation.
The timeline: January 26 to February 19
Elisa Lam arrived in Los Angeles on 26 January 2013. Initially placed in a shared room, she was later moved to a private room after roommates reported unusual behaviour, including notes left behind and disruptive actions.
On 31 January, she visited The Last Bookstore in downtown Los Angeles. The store’s manager later described her as outgoing and lively. She purchased books and postcards intended for her family, items police later found neatly arranged in her hotel room. This detail strongly suggests she planned to return home.
That evening marked her last confirmed sighting.
On 13 February, police released the now-infamous elevator video.
On 19 February, after hotel guests complained of low water pressure and discoloured water, maintenance worker Santiago Lopez discovered Lam’s body inside one of the rooftop water tanks.
Rooftop access and water tank layout
Contrary to widespread claims, roof access was not limited to a single alarmed door. Fire escapes offered alternative routes, and alarm systems at the time were inconsistently monitored.
The autopsy and toxicology report
The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled Elisa Lam’s death an accidental drowning, with bipolar disorder listed as a significant contributing condition.
Toxicology results found trace amounts of Lamotrigine, a mood stabiliser. However, her prescribed anti-psychotic medication, Quetiapine, was not detected in her system at the time of death.
This absence is medically significant. Quetiapine has a short half-life, meaning missing even one or two doses can cause it to disappear from the bloodstream. Abrupt discontinuation is known to trigger manic episodes, paranoia, and disorganised behaviour — patterns consistent with Lam’s actions in the elevator footage.
Clearing up the water tank myths
A persistent myth claims the water tank lid was closed. This is false.
In a 2015 court deposition, Santiago Lopez stated:
“I noticed the hatch to the main water tank was open and looked inside…”
This sworn testimony directly contradicts years of online misinformation.
Another commonly cited detail is that Lam was found without clothing. Experts note that panic, heavy waterlogged clothing, and a phenomenon known as paradoxical undressing can occur in extreme distress situations, particularly during hypothermia or exhaustion.
Debunking the popular theories
The “elevator game”
Claims that Lam was playing a Korean “elevator game” are unsupported. Pressing multiple buttons, stepping in and out, and appearing fearful are well-documented behaviours associated with manic or psychotic episodes.
The tuberculosis test theory
Some point to a tuberculosis test called “LAM-ELISA”. The test existed decades before Elisa Lam’s death. The similarity in names is coincidental and has no investigative relevance.
The edited video
The elevator footage is authentic LAPD material. The video was slowed and timestamps obscured to protect the identities of individuals not involved in the case.
The Cecil Hotel today
The Cecil Hotel reopened in 2021 as affordable housing, an attempt to move beyond its past. By 2024–2025, the project faced continued financial difficulties, and the property was placed back on the market.
Elisa Lam’s death remains central to how the building is understood, marking a moment when internet mythmaking collided with a real human tragedy.
A wider pattern of misunderstood victims
Elisa Lam’s case mirrors others where victims become symbols rather than people, including Abigail Folger: the unsung victim of the Tate murders.
In both cases, fixation on mystery often eclipsed the individual life lost.
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Sources
- Los Angeles County Coroner, Autopsy Report: Elisa Lam
- LAPD press releases and case statements
- Los Angeles Times archives
- Mental health literature on bipolar disorder and medication withdrawal
- Court deposition of Santiago Lopez (2015)
Access was possible via fire escapes and unsecured doors. Alarm systems were unreliable at the time.
It was open, according to the maintenance worker who discovered her.
Yes. LAPD confirmed the footage is authentic, though edited for privacy reasons.
She drowned accidentally, with bipolar disorder playing a significant role.
